The Darkness of Light
by kitkatamii
Summary: There was a girl who was supposedly "blessed". No one ever seemed to noticed the nightmare she was really living and the curse she couldn't escape. With no one she feels she can turn to, she must learn to face her reality alone. Will she be strong enough? Or will she bring about the end of the world? Rated M for possible dark/mature content later in the story.
1. A Nightmare Unknown

_A/N: Hi-hi~! This is a Digimon fanfic that is going to be Hikari heavy. I'm not entirely sure of the pairings that are going to take place in the story. I don't have a concrete plan for this story yet, but rather just small idea of what I'd like to see. With that in mind, I do not own Digimon or any other references that may come up in the story. This is simply written for fun, enjoy~_

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 **Chapter 1: "A Nightmare Unknown"  
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Drip

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A shivering breeze swept through the horizon as an otherwise still world rested. Despite the chill of the breeze, no sound accompanied the winds beside that of water drops hitting an enormous ocean. Within this setting a young brunette stood surrounded by the water. The water around only reaching her ankles as slowly the teen's eyes opened. As if in a daze, the young woman looked around her surroundings perplexed. Again, again she was drawn to this strange place. It was a place she was all too familiar with, yet unaware of at the same time. It chilled her bones and tightened her nerves as if the air around would suffocate her at any moment. Color from the world appeared lacking and nothing but the sound of waves could be heard.

Why? Why had she been summoned to this place? Turning around, the brunette's warm hazel eyes tried to examine the area in hopes of recognizing exactly where she had been drawn to. This was as always to no avail; the young woman was at a loss as to where she was. As the water beneath hugged around her legs, panic began to overtake the girl. Her heart race increased as breathing became a struggle. A chilling voice filled the air with a single simple sentence that caused the girl's breathing to stop and heart to speed faster if even possible. "Let go…"

"YAHHHHHH!" In a single moment those same hazel eyes shot open as the teenager practically leaped from her bed in a panic. Huffs escaped young Yagami Hikari as her chest felt tight and the air thin. This dream was one she had been continuously having for several weeks now. Cold, salty sweat plunged from her forehead as the girl slowly and shakily closed her eyes and attempted to regain her composure. Despite the fact that nothing particularly terrible happened in these reoccurring dreams, something within Hikari told her these were neither normal or good dreams.

After being able to steady her breathing and heart rate, Hikari made an effort to allow her eyes to look at her alarm clock. The bright green numbers showed the same time they did every single night- 4:08. She let out an irritated sigh, before quietly turning on a small light within her room. Being so early in the morning, the last thing the girl wanted was to wake any of her family members; this particularly included her older brother. This past month was not the first she had experienced such dreams. In fact, it was probably around the time that she was 8 years old that these dreams seemed to begin plaguing her. For a while it had appeared as if such dreams had left her and with age she had assumed whatever the symbolism for the dream had been that it had served its purpose. Because she was older in age, Hikari believed that whatever plagued her when she had been younger would have been outgrown. Apparently as the past month had proven, this had not been the case.

In the past such dreams were easily overcome by comforting words she received from her brother, Taichi. He was constantly looking out for her and Hikari knew that if anything were to ever bother her, she would be able to rely on him to assist her. That being said, she no longer felt that would be the case. Taichi was now sixteen years old and in his sophomore year of high school. Hikari herself was now thirteen years of age and in junior high. This age difference led her to begin feeling as though she was no longer able to rely on her brother because she needed to become strong herself. However, just because she said it so, did not mean this happened as she wished it had. Hikari had been struggling for weeks trying to be strong and fight whatever it was that was drawing her to the Dark World of her dreams, but it was not something that was easily done.

Letting out a soft sigh, the girl swung her feet around to the side of her bed before slowly placing weight upon them. Her hazel eyes looked to her window and wondered if anyone would even be up at such an hour. She allowed her body to move to the window before slowly opening the class door. Instantly a cool refreshing breeze tickled her skin. This breeze was much different than the breeze in her dream. When she was in that Dark World it felt as though literal darkness was surrounding her. It was much different than the darkness of night, but instead felt like pure darkness. Even the thought was difficult for her to completely understand, however, the differences to her felt like night and day. Whatever the case, in this instant, Hikari drew in a fresh breath of air and let out a sigh of relief. For at least the next day until night came once more, she would be free from the nightmare that continued to plague her.

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Before too long the sun began to slowly peak above the horizon and shine light over the land of Japan. For the past three hours Hikari had sat out on the balcony of her family's apartment and looked out over the city of Odaiba. After having her bad dreams it was nearly impossible for her to go back to sleep. She was not entirely sure why it was so hard, everyone had nightmares, but she didn't know anyone who allowed those nightmares to keep them from losing sleeps days if not weeks on hand. It was something she yearned to discuss with someone, anyone. Alas, Hikari did not know how to bring the conversation up. When looking to those around her, the girl always found herself jealous of her friends that had no problem voicing their thoughts and feelings. It seemed as though discussing what was on their mind came easy to them. For the brunette, she had never been able to openly discuss her feelings with those around her. Now, clearly Hikari was close with those she called her friends and it had nothing to do with not being able to trust them; however, it was a level of comfort she just could not break.

A quiet sliding noise distracted Hikari from her thoughts as she turned her body to look at the person joining her on the balcony. A young boy with messy chocolate hair slowly made his way out of the apartment with eyes fixated on the girl wrapping her arms around her knees. "Oniichan." This was more of a statement acknowledging her brother's presence than a question as to why he was joining her on the balcony.

Taichi stared at his sister for longer than most would feel comfortable with. His eyes studied her, noting that she had indeed been up for hours. This was not something he wished to bring up, but instead let out a soft yawn before allowing his body to stretch and loosen his muscles. "Yo, does it look nice out today?"

Having not received any questions from her brother, Hikari let out a soft sigh of relief and turned to look at the sun slowly making its appearance. "There has been a nice breeze. Do you have football practice today?"

"Yeah, I'm getting together with some of the guys after classes get out. Can you believe it's already summer vacation? Time sure does fly doesn't it?" He stated with a hint of happiness to his tone. His thoughts focused on all the time he would now have to play football as opposed to stress over algebra or examinations.

"You've only been counting down since last August. I'm surprised you think it's sneaked up on you." Hikari replied with a slight giggle to her voice. At this comment, Taichi allowed his hand to rest upon his sister's head and slowly ruffle her hair beneath his palm. This action earned a yelp from the teen as she shifted position to get away from her attacking brother. "Oniichan…" The brunette puffed as she pursed out her lips and narrowed her eyes to the older boy.

This caused Taichi to chuckle as he turned from his sister and proceeded towards the apartment door. "You should really stop gawking at the sun. Today would be a terrible day to have to serve detention."

Letting out a sigh that hinting at her exhaustion, Hikari shifted her body to stand from the ground and head towards her apartment just as her brother had. Opening the door to her bedroom the brunette wondered if she had made a mistake in not mentioning her dream to her brother. Normally if something had been bothering her it had seemed as though Taichi would have sensed it and brought it up in conversation somehow. Perhaps she was thinking more into this dream than she needed to. After all, how could a dream about being at an ocean be bad? It wasn't as though she were in trouble in her dream at all… or was she?

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 _A/N: Kind of an uninteresting chapter. I felt like I needed to set the story up before really diving in. Throughout the chapter I really debated on where I was going to have this story fall. I finally decided that this is a post Adventure story with Zero Two never taking place. That means they have never been to the Dark World and know nothing about it. Also some of the more irritating parts of Zero Two never happened such as Daemon being exiled to the Dark World. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue reading the updates!_


	2. Uneasy Suspicions

**Chapter 2: "Uneasy Suspicions"**

Throughout the air a school bell sounded signaling the warning that classes would begin shortly. Hearing the bells ring, panic coursed through Hikari as she sprinted to the school gate. How could she have taken so long getting ready in the morning? It wasn't as though she overslept. Finally making it to safety, the girl slowed down and came to her locker. Attempting to catch her breath, the brunette noticed a pair of feet within her sight as she stood hunched over gasping for air. Hikari blinked a few times before straightening her back.

"Someone's cutting it close, aren't they?" The blonde haired teen teased. Hikari's cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she looked to the cobalt eyes of her best friend. He was about two inches taller than her and wearing a playful grin upon his face.

"Takeru-kun, good morning." Hikari smiled gently deciding to ignore his statement all together. After all, they both knew the statement was true so it didn't really require a response from her. The teenager still found it strange at times that he was attending the same school as her. Takashi Takeru had transferred to Odaiba 3 years ago not too long after the digimon attacks in Japan. This made it easier for the best friends to continue their friendship and build on it throughout the years.

Students began to file past the friends before a burgundy haired teen addressed them. "Hikari-chan, Takashi, stop your flirting and get to class." The boy shouted to them as he headed into their class.

Any other pair of friends may have been insulted by such a statement, but for some reason it never affected these two. In fact, they simply shook their heads and chuckled lightly. "Motomiya-kun you are just jealous!" Takeru shot back as he began heading to the classroom. Turning back, the boy noticed that his friend was still standing by her locker. "Hikari-chan?"

Thoughts had consumed Hikari about the night before and if it would be a good idea to share her concerns with her best friend. It wasn't necessarily the best time to be contemplating such thoughts, especially since she had already poured over what she was going to do all morning. It was half the reason she was late to school. Part of Hikari yearned to open up to someone and explain this uneasy feeling she was experiencing. However, this was not something that was easy for her to do. Upon hearing her name and seeing the puzzled look on the blonde's face, the girl simply smiled gently. "Sorry Takeru-kun, I got caught thinking if I remembered to feed Miko this morning in my rush. Poor thing." She fibbed as she walked towards the boy and entered the classroom.

Something was off and it bothered Takeru as his friend passed him. Even so, he knew that Hikari understood if she ever needed to talk he was always willing to listen. Of course, it never seemed as though she was willing to full open up to him. It was something that he continued to try and relay to his friend. For some reason she held herself back and he could only imagine it was because she felt like she'd be a bother if she opened up. Taichi had once informed him that Hikari was the type of person to care about others before herself. She did not like to tell others if she was in pain or having a hard time even if it were to kill her. It brought a pang of guilt to him as he watched her slowly take his seat. Ever since their adventures in the Digimon World he felt protective of her. Now he wished there was some way he could break through that barrier of hers.

The afternoon sun shined brightly within the sky producing a wave of heat that had not been present in the morning hours. Luckily, a soft breeze kissed the cheek of a thirteen year old as she stood at the gates of her school. Summer vacation was finally upon the students who had been working super hard to complete their year's study. Hikari politely exchanged good-byes with her classmates as many took off in separate directions. She had come to be quite the social butterfly over the years. A set of eyes bore into her as the girl turned to see her best friend gazing in her direction. "You know, you don't have to be weird. Just come over and talk to me." She joked softly gesturing for him to join her.

Takeru huffed lightly as he ran his hand through his hair. "You make it sound like I was stalking you or something."

"I caught you staring at me."

"I wasn't staring!" Takeru defended noticing his cheeks heat up.

"Now you are blushing." Hikari giggled softly covering her mouth.

Hearing her giggle brought a strange feeling to Takeru as he tried to ignore those feelings within him. "I'm embarrassed; you make me sound like some sick creeper Hikari-chan." He retorted attempting to regain his composure. "We have it hard enough with the snide comments we get from our siblings and some peers around school."

Hikari looked to her friend and understood what he was talking about. She enjoyed spending time with him. They weren't necessarily joined at the hip or constantly in one another's presence, but they did hang out quite frequently. Apparently the two spent enough time together to create rumors and be of interest to those around them. "I'm just giving you a hard time Takeru-kun." She stated calmly as she looked towards the ocean that was by their school building. For some reason it sent chills down her spine to be around it. Suddenly Hikari found her heart rate increase and her breathing became more difficult as her hazel eyes focused on a shadow within the water. The creature appeared to be staring in her direction. Blinking, the girl attempted to focus her vision. Within a second the figure she had thought she saw vanished and the chill she had felt went along with it.

It happened again; Takeru noticed instantly when Hikari appeared to go in her own world. Every so often when they would hang out she would have instances where it appeared her mind escaped their world and went to another. Sometimes it was for a split second and others dragged on. He never liked to bring them up for fear of upsetting her, but it was something concerning to him. "Hikari-chan?" He questioned not in a intruding manner, but more out of concern and to gain her attention.

"Yes?" The girl stated wondering if Takeru had noticed anything strange too. Being a chosen child had taught them to be observant of their surroundings and maybe he had also noticed that shadow within the water.

"Would you like to get some crepes?" The blonde decided it best to not push the subject of what was on his friend's mind. If Hikari ever felt the need to open up, he would wait for her to make the move.

Hikari smiled softly as she thought about how kind the offer was. In all honesty, however, all she wanted to do was go home and try and catch up on some sleep. Since she did not have homework to focus on anymore, perhaps she'd be able to sleep more easily. The nightmares always woke her up at 4:08 so maybe going to bed at a different time would help. "Rain check?" She politely declined hoping to have not upset her friend. "I think I just want to rest today."

Not wanting to push the matter Takeru smiled to his friend. "I'd love a rain check. I'll call you tomorrow, how does that sound?"

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A skinny strawberry blonde haired girl sat in the stands of the local football field with an umbrella over her head. The afternoon sun was blazing upon the park and being a girl of what she considered class, an umbrella seemed to suite the occasion. Her caramel eyes looked to her high school peers below. In particular her eyes were fascinated with the messy haired boy who seemed to direct those around him. The practice appeared to be concluding as the boys exchanged high fives and discussed future practice arrangements.

The crowd began to dissipate as the bushy haired teen looked up to the girl in the stands. Letting out a soft sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Mimi-chan, you look ridiculous."

Climbing down from the stands, the girl stood a few feet from the leader of the chosen children. Her caramel eyes closed in annoyance as she tilted her head to the side as if insulted. "Just because I have to sit out in the blazing sun does not mean I must suffer undesirable tan lines." Tachikawa Mimi retorted in annoyance.

"I highly doubt you would get tan lines…" The boy sighed in response.

"There is absolutely no shade near the football field; I would roast without the umbrella!"

Obviously this was not a battle to be won. Taichi knew Mimi to be a very persistent girl and he often times did not find himself having the energy to quarrel with her. Besides, he found himself drawn to the strawberry blonde and while he did find it cute when she became angry, he was not up for insulting her. "Ok, I'm sorry. But can you put it away now?"

"Hmph." The girl replied as she closed the umbrella and looked to the boy across from her. "Maybe next time I won't come."

"Don't." He replied causing the girl to jolt her head in his direction and look at him in a slight panic. It was in that moment; the boy couldn't help but gently smile at the chosen child of purity. "Mimi-chan, you know I like when you come watch."

Allowing herself to smile in response, the girl walked up to the boy and placed a gently kiss upon his cheek before winking at him. "You look a little stressed lately, is everything okay?"

Her question caught Taichi by surprise as he blinked at looked up to her concerned caramel eyes. "What do you mean? Exams were today that's pretty stressful."

The strawberry blonde was a year younger than Taichi so she was certain his exams had to be a bit harder than her own. However, she did not think that was the cause of his stresses. In fact, she was quite certain of it as he had never really let academics bother him any previous year. Taking his hand within her own, the teen guided her close friend to a tree that would provide them with some shade. Mimi sat down and gestured for him to do the same. Almost instantly it appeared he followed her command and looked to her with question. "I don't think it is that."

Taichi knew Mimi could be quite the perceptive girl. Sure, many viewed her as some ditzy, cheerleader, but he knew there was more to her than that. Their adventures in the Digimon World had proven that. Looking into the girl's eyes Taichi wondered if she would drop the subject if he continued to dodge. Honestly though, he wanted to talk about it and if Mimi was willing to listen, it seemed like the most opportune time. "You're right." He sighed running a hand through his hair. Closing his eyes, the boy lay on his back and took in a deep breath of the fresh air. "I guess I've been a bit worried about Hikari."

"Hikari-chan?" Mimi questioned not taking her eyes from the boy.

"Yeah, I don't know why, but my gut is telling me that something is wrong."

"Is there a reason for your gut to feel this way?" Mimi inquired hoping to understand his feeling better.

"Yea… No… I don't know." He stammered as if trying to figure that out for himself. Taichi really started to notice his feelings more when he noticed Hikari watching the sunrise every morning from their apartment balcony. This was not something she normally did, but started a few weeks prior. Her reasoning was that one night she couldn't sleep and ever since seeing the first sunrise, she wanted to continue seeing them. Personally, Taichi had a hard time buying the story but didn't want to impose on his little sister.

"Hikari-chan is strong. If there is something wrong, I'm sure she can handle herself. It isn't like we're in the Digimon World or anything. Maybe you are just nervous because she's growing up and you don't want her too." Mimi teased lightly. "You are overprotective and don't want someone stealing your precious flower away!"

Taichi shot up and looked to Mimi with annoyance. "It sounds so wrong when you put it that way!" This cause the girl to burst out laughing which in turn caused Taichi to also begin laughing. Laughter felt good even if he was still perplexed by the whole situation. His eyes turned to his close friend as he rested his forehead against her own. Normally someone may have been caught off guard by such an action, but the strawberry blonde simply brought her right hand to lightly touch her friend's cheek. "Thanks Mimi-chan."

 _A/N: A relatively slow chapter with some light moments in it. I promise it is going to get darker and having these light moments really helps balance I think. Did anyone notice my inclusion of Daisuke? I felt like it'd be nice to include him even though he technically isn't involved in the storyline. In other news, how do you feel about Taimi? I didn't want it to be BAM in your face, but I thought it seemed to flow nicely. Sorry Koumi fans! The next chapter is going to see a lot more of the plot developing._


	3. When Darkness Invades

**Chapter 3: "When Darkness Invades"**

Out of nowhere a cloud of darkness seemed to slowly engulf the once blue sky. Creatures stirred uncomfortably as their eyes darted upward. A particularly large group of creatures clustered together as soon as this uneasy storm seemed to form. Among this group a dragon, a wolf with a horn, a bird, a giant beetle, a plant, a seal, a winged guinea pig, and a cat with gloves.

"Something isn't right." The winged guinea pig stated not taking his eyes off the sky.

"Patamon is right; something about those clouds makes my fur tremble." The feline stated with almost a hiss to her voice.

"I'm not even sure those are clouds. They look like it… but. Something is just off." The orange lizard stated while narrowing his eyes to the sky.

All of a sudden in an instant it seemed as though a light came from the surface of the ground in a rainbow like manner and the darkness was expelled. This was particularly perplexing as the creatures were left to look at one another.

"Did you see that light?" The white and purple seal questioned receiving nods from those around him.

Concern was etched on the bird's face. "I wish Sora was here." It seemed with this comment the creatures' expressions turned grim and their conversation silent. Years had passed slowly as the creatures known as digimon had been forced to live in their saved world with only a memory of the human children that had helped achieve such peace. Each digimon missed his or her respected child and internally yearned to see the faces of the humans once more.

"It would be nice to see them again." The flower stated breaking the silence. However even with the bright expression of talking about her chosen child, she knew the stipulation that would be attached to seeing the children.

The beetle sighed, "If the children come back it's because our world is in danger."

"We can't just see them without purpose." The horned wolf added somberly.

All of the creatures looked to the sky torn with feelings of yearning and concern as the thought of wars breaking throughout the land did not sound appealing, but the thought of seeing those humans once more would almost make such battles worthwhile…

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Drip

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Silence filled the air creating an eerie effect in a colorless world. Once again Hikari opened her eyes to find herself standing ankle deep within a strange ocean. The water seemed to cling to her ankles as she looked to the ripples created by the waves of the water. Blinking, she attempted to figure out the reason for being once again drawn to this place. A slight panic filled the girl as confusion filled her. This world felt wrong to every fiber of her being. Something deep inside her seemed to stir in reaction to where she was.

Unlike her other dreams, this particular dream seemed longer than most. Hikari took a step from the waster as the water appeared to quiver under her movement. Looking around in desperation, the girl noticed just as always she was alone in this world. With the exception of the light breeze and the sound of water beneath her, the world appeared silent and dead. Her heart began to race as she knew eventually a shadow would appear and ask her to let go. This was exactly how the dream would end; however, that usually would have taken place by now.

Hikari took in a deep breath hoping to steady her racing heart and control the nerves contracting within her stomach. Deep down it seemed as though she wanted to reach out to the shadow. It was as if that shadow were calling her. It was a battle she felt herself fighting without fully understanding the purpose. "Where am I?" She asked aloud as the words seemed to echo off the nothingness surrounding her.

"Let go…" The growingly familiar voice commanded in the same fashion as all the other nights.

"Let go?" Hikari found the courage to ask the shadow as she fixated on the figure before her. Tonight's dream was different than most, the creature came closer to her. She noticed the glowing red eyes of the shadow and it caused a chill to tingle through her skin.

Breathing became hard as it felt as though Hikari could not take her eyes off the creature before her. A strange feeling overcame her body as deep within something uncomfortably stirred within her. Something nestled deep within her soul appeared to scream for release. The girl's heart began to race as sweat beaded from her brow. Fear overtook the girl as a pain overtook her body. Suddenly as the shadow was a few hundred feet from her, a powerful light was released from the girl's body lighting up the waves around her before pain wept consciousness from the girl…

"YAHHHHHH!" Hikari panted shooting up in her bed once more as she always did following such dreams. Chills overtook her body as she trembled, fighting back tears. Something was not right with these dreams. Part of her felt as though she was going to be physically torn apart. _'Oniichan…'_ This was the only thought that came to the girl's mind as she panicked silently in her room. Her hazel eyes looked to the clock noting the time once more 4:08! The heart within her chest began to pump rapidly once again as the girl tried to catch her breath. Why? Why was this happening? What was happening? All the girl knew was she wasn't going to be able to keep this going much longer. Eventually whatever was happening… she knew she was going to lose. This caused her nerves to tighten at the thought as quickly the girl needed to sprint towards the bathroom as the content of her stomach did not feel as though there was room with the contracting nerves battled for supremacy.

* * *

Groaning lowly, the brown bushy haired teen shifted in his bed. All night he had strange dreams of Agumon calling out to him. Taichi rubbed his eyes before letting out a soft yawn. He found himself surprised to see no sunlight shining through the curtains of his window. Taichi glanced over to the clock whose numbers read 7:47. Certainly the sun should have been up by now. Jumping from his bed, he felt a sudden urge to investigate. Pulling the silk to the side, he noticed a strange dark cloud covering the city. Part of him felt this cloud wasn't all that it appeared to be. That sounded insane and he knew it, but a strange feeling overcame him. Coupled with the dreams from the previous night, the boy looked to the small device he kept on his desk. Could there be trouble again? With so many years of peace recently, was it possible their happiness would be put on hold once again? Was he reading too much into everything?

Taichi shook his head lightly thinking about how crazy he was being. "Do I really miss Agumon that much that I would make stuff up? It's just a rainy day." He chuckled softly to himself before letting out a sigh.

The boy walked over to his closet and chose an outfit for the day. Taking off his pajamas he pulled a white undershirt over his head before placing a navy blue t-shirt over it. The boy pulled on a pair of dark wash denim shorts. To complete his outfit he put on some white socks before slipping his feet back into his slippers. Glancing in his mirror it wasn't as though the boy really cared about his looks, but it was nice to at least check to make everything was in order and nothing was hanging out of place.

Leaving his room, Taichi noticed the door to his sister's room was still closed. He wondered if she was actually sleeping in. It was summer vacation after all, there was a chance she might not have been as stressed if that was what was causing her to be awake early every day prior. Taichi moved to the window of the living room to notice that his sister was indeed out on the patio… But why? Again his chocolate eyes looked to the sky noting there was definitely no sunlight to be seen. Upon opening the door he noticed a slight temperature shock. For being the middle of July the temperature was surprisingly unseasonal.

"Hikar…" The older brother started before noticing that his sister had her arms grasped firmly around her knees with her head resting within her knees. He frowned noticing that her composure gave off one of stress. The boy headed over to his sister before kneeling before her and gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay Hikari?" His voice was filled with concern as he intently looked at her.

When Taichi received no answer from his sister he began to feel his stomach churn. "Hey, Hikari?" He questioned gently shaking his sister lightly. Despite his attempts his younger sister did not seem to be responding to him. This caused a panic to overtake him as he shook her with more urgency. "Hikari!"

Slowly the girl stirred as she lifted her head to look at her brother. Her eyes appeared more dull than normal as she blinked slowly. "Oniichan." She stated softly looking at him.

Her body still appeared tense as Taichi looked to her. He wondered what was going on and why he felt so uneasy. "Is everything ok?" He felt strange looking at her like there was something he should be noticing but wasn't.

"Mmm." She stated almost inaudibly as she forced a soft smile before releasing her knees from her grasp. The girl slowly stood up before looking out over the city.

Shock overtook Taichi for a moment as he looked to his younger sister and for an instant thought a dark shadow was lurking around her body. Quickly he blinked to double check his vision, but upon opening his eyes his sight had corrected and everything looked normal. He must have just been imagining things. "Well, don't stay out here too long; it looks like it may storm. I wouldn't want you getting sick."

"Mmm," was the only response he received as he turned to head back inside and left his little sister gazing beyond the balcony of their apartment.

' _Hikari…'_

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 _A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Still needs more action, but we're building to it. I keep finding great places to end the chapter which is why I keep promising action and it just doesn't seem to happen… I feel like this next chapter is really when we are going to get into things. At least introduce/bring in the remaining chosen children. Keep reading and reviewing please!_


	4. The Unexplainable Storm

_A/N: Wow, I'm glad you are still reading! It must mean you are really nice, or you think my story has some worth to it. I'm on quite the writing roll right now which is good. Hope you enjoy~_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: "The Unexplainable Storm"**

For weeks a strange cloud appeared to cover the streets of Japan. Normal people continued on their everyday lives accounting the strange cloud for some result of global warming or pollution that needed curing with an "ozone action act". Although the reports of concern had diminished as the days passed by, some still had curiosity and concern sparked within them. Of these people included a group of teenagers who sat on playground equipment in Odaiba Park.

A young girl wearing a light pink t-shirt than just reached the top of her stomach and olive green denim shorts that were rather short sat on top of monkey bars as her hazelnut eyes looked to the others around her. She couldn't help but wonder what was on everyone's mind and if they felt the same sense of panic she had been feeling.

"This _storm_ is strange." One of the teens responded. He had short spiky blonde hair and bright cobalt eyes. The boy was wearing a black short sleeved button up shirt with dark wash jeans. The wind gently rustled his dirty blond hair as he looked to the four other people he was with. He valued these people's opinions over anyone else's and had been eager to have the chance to talk to them about what was taking place.

"Yamato-san, do you really think it is a storm?" Mimi questioned looking over to her friend. Today unlike when she had hung out with Taichi, she did not carry an umbrella with her. Nor was she wearing her school uniform. Instead her wardrobe today consisted of a loose fitting pale yellow blouse, light wash denim jeans, and her strawberry blond hair was thrown up in a very sloppy bun.

"A storm that lasts for two weeks without actually precipitating at all?" A dark hard teen responded as he adjusted his glasses nervously.

"I agree with Jyou-sempai, I don't think a storm could act such a way." Takenouchi Sora replied as her eyes took a quick look at the sky before returning her sights back on her friends.

Yamato let out a soft sigh as he leaned against the playground equipment and folded his arms across his chest. "I don't like it. I just have this dark feeling inside. It sends chills down my spine, kinda like that dark cave all those years ago…"

At the mention of the dark cave, Sora let out a small gasp as her eyes shot over in Yamato's direction. It had been years since she had thought about that instance in the Digimon World that she felt the darkness in her heart consume her.

"Are you talking about that time you said you and Gabumon got stuck in a cave and after I found you, we went in search of the others only to find Takeru-kun looking for Sora-kun who had fallen into a hole?" Jyou questioned trying to recall the events that had taken place.

"Dark cave? A hole?" The strawberry blonde tilting her head in question as she rested her elbows on the play structure she was standing on.

"Yamato-kun and I were drawn into these creepy dark caves before the final battle with Piemon." Sora explained as she looked to her puzzled friend.

"It was the darkness inside of our hearts that created the caves. It was able to somehow manifest itself and drag us down." Yamato added as he tried to control the cold shivers he felt just thinking about the incident.

"Do you think such a thing could happen here?" Mimi questioned frowning at the thought of their world being covered in darkness. "Think about all the dark thoughts people have to have in their minds. What if such a thing could really happen here?" Horror struck Mimi's face as she thought about the dark things that even their world was capable of.

"What if some dark digimon was causing all this to happen? Remember Vamdemon?" Jyou questioned thinking about their old foe.

"What about him?" The red haired girl responded not entirely sure where her friend was going with the conversation.

The dark haired teen appeared to be thinking about the past and the events that had transpired on their planet. "Well, he showed up and stated he wanted to be the king of both worlds by covering our world in darkness. Could some other twisted digimon have the same agenda?"

At that thought Yamato found himself thinking over the different scenarios. "I guess it'd be possible, not something we can really rule out. I just wish we had more information."

"Has anyone tried talking to Koushiro-kun or Taichi about this?" Sora questioned thinking about the other members of their team.

"Mimi-kun, you see Taichi all the time, what does he think?" Jyou asked looking to the younger girl.

"We haven't actually talked about it much… Taichi-san thought he was making stuff up because he missed the action back in the day. Also… He's been a bit distracted." The girl stated as she thought about her friend and how their recent interactions had taken place.

"What could distract him from something like this?" Yamato asked thinking of his best friend.

* * *

The sky was dark but no one seemed to pay any mind to it anymore. It was as if the sun had become a distant stranger and street lights worked overtime. Taichi couldn't remember anymore when this had all started to happen, but he knew it had been several days. His hazel eyes looked to his sister who had recently been spending a great deal of time to herself. He wondered what exactly was on her mind and why she had seemed to shut everyone out. Even Takeru had come over on several occasions to hang out with her, but the girl stated she wasn't feeling the best or too tired to go out anywhere.

Today Hikari sat on the patio with her arms wrapped around her knees in a similar fashion to most days. Looking at her, it appeared as if she were in some sort of daze. She was wearing a gray tunic topic that hugged her ribcage, but flowed from there and reached just below her rear end. Under the tunic she wore tight light pink biker shorts that flattered her quad muscles. Her hair appeared a bit messy, but still had her bangs held out of her face with a single pink clip. The girl let out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes and rested her forehead upon her knees unaware of her older brother watching her.

Ever since the dreams had begun to plague her sleep, Hikari felt as though she were losing more and more of herself. Nights dragged on and days were spent fearing the nights. It began to wear on her as she wondered what she could possibly do to end the dreams. They hadn't gotten any more detailed as the weeks passed. Hikari was too afraid of what would happen if she did anything differently in her dreams. She felt as though something was after her, calling to her in an attempt to sweep her away. Before too long, if nothing changed she was going to lose the battle.

How, how could she bring it up to those around her? She knew that Taichi was worried about her, it was apparent whenever he looked at her. She didn't want him to worry. She didn't mean to concern anyone else. Being around people was too difficult. Hikari didn't want to worry anyone, but at the same time she was just too exhausted to fake a smile any longer. All the girl really wanted was to be able to move past this nightmare, to let go.

With that thought, the teenager's body stiffened as her eyes grew wide. That is what she had been told to do all along. An eerie chill crawled down her skin as she girl shivered. Before she was allowed to process her thoughts a creak distracted her. Hikari's head swirled in the direction of the noise as she noticed her brother gazing down at her. "Onii-chan?" She questioned not entirely sure how long the older teen had been standing there.

"It might storm… You really shouldn't be sitting out here." Taichi wasn't entirely sure how to talk to his sister at the moment. She didn't seem to be her usual self and he wasn't entirely sure what had caused this change in her.

"Yeah…" The girl replied slowly as she pushed herself off the ground and straightened her clothing. She didn't want her brother to worry about her, so the girl placed a soft fake smile upon her face. "Do you know what date it is today?"

This question through the older boy off causing him to blink a few times in thought. Whenever summer vacation came around he really did find it difficult to keep track of time. As he tried to run through the dates, Hikari smiled ever so lightly.

"Today is the last day of July." She stated in a matter of fact fashion.

Instantly Taichi's eyes widened as he thought of the significance of the next day. How had he been so distracted to not notice the day had approached so suddenly? "Five years tomorrow."

Hikari nodded her head. "I miss Tailmon. Do you think about Agumon?"

"Of course I do! I can't believe you'd even think for a moment that I didn't. Actually I've been thinking about him a lot more recently."

This peaked the brunette's interest as she tilted her head to the side and looked to her brother. "Why?"

Rubbing the back of his neck the boy turned to look towards the sky. "It's just these clouds. I remember the weather going all haywire that day… I know it's been a few weeks of this bizarre weather, but it has had me on high alert."

"Bizarre weather?" Hikari questioned as she looked to the sky. Had it really been that strange? The teen hadn't really put much thought into the weather even though it hadn't been sunny in days. Maybe it had to do with the fact that her mind had otherwise been preoccupied.

"You haven't noticed?" Taichi replied looking to his sister in disbelief. What was going on with her? It made him nervous as he felt those instincts within him alerting him that something was not right.

* * *

A young red headed boy was fiercely typing away on a computer key board when suddenly the sound of her cellular phone drew his attention from the screen. Izumi Koushiro looked to the device wondering who could possibly be calling him. "Moshi, moshi?" He greeted having not bothered to take the time and glance at the caller id.

"Hey Koushiro, how are you doing?" The voice of a certain messy haired sophomore sounded on the other end.

"Taichi-san! I have been well. Is everything alright?" Koushiro spun from his desk wondering exactly why his leader had called him. Certainly he must have noticed the state their city appeared to be in. The teen hadn't had the time to talk to anyone about what was taking place, but he had made certain to email Gennai, the old man that once contacted the chosen children to guide them throughout their adventures. Sadly, the man had not returned any of his inquiries which led the genius to wonder if there really was something wrong. Perhaps nothing was abnormal so there was no need for the wise man to return his communication.

"Do you know what day it is?"

The boy paused for a moment wondering where this conversation was going. "Saturday?" He replied wondering if the sole purpose of this conversation was because Taichi needed to know the date. It seemed like a silly reason to phone someone. Again Koushiro felt the need to ask, "is everything alright, Taichi-san."

"No, not Saturday. Well I mean, yeah Saturday, but the DATE not the day. It's the 31st of July!"

Suddenly the genius knew where his friend was going with this conversation. "Do you have any plans?"

"That's exactly why I was calling you. I figured it might be nice to meet up at the park tomorrow. I'd love to see the old campground, but that's kind of far to travel. Just hanging out I think would be nice." The brunette explained from the other line.

"Most certainly you can count on me to be present. What time should I plan on being there?" Koushiro questioned in response.

"Noon, it was just after lunchtime after all." The boy stated from the other line.

"I'll have my mom make some snacks to bring along with me."

"Awesome! Tomorrow we will reunite!"

* * *

 _A/N: Gaaaaaah not much action still. I don't know if this upsets you or if you are okay with the progress. I would love to see more action, but I felt the need to work up to it by introducing people slowly. Also the timeline is important. This next chapter will really begin to see the turning of the plot. What do you think is going to happen next?_


	5. The Absence of Light

**Chapter 5: "The Absence of Light"**

A recent darkness had apparently decided to blanket Japan leaving many yearning for the warmth of sunlight once more. What added to the strangeness was the unseasonable temperature the country appeared to be having. Despite being mid-summer the temperature in Odaiba was only reporting around 4 degrees Celsius. In fact, some places had even begun to report sighting of snow falling from the skies.

"You know Taichi… It was a bad idea to meet at the park, perhaps we should have gone to someone's house instead." The red haired teen practically chattered as she rubbed her arms in an attempt to raise her temperature slightly. She was wearing a long sleeved semi-baggy medium purple hoodie that reached just past her hips. Underneath the hoodie she wore short gray biker shorts. Her legs were covered with thigh-high stockings and yellow boots that reached halfway up her calves. To top off her look, the girl wore a cream colored winter hat that covered her ears.

"This reminds me of that day. I feel like a blizzard is going to hit at any moment." The strawberry blonde replied as she looked to her clothes noting that she was at least better prepared this time. Today she wrote a long sleeve white sweater that hugged her curves. She had on a short pair of dark wash khakis that also hugged her features. She also wore long socks to help keep her legs toasty that were olive in color to match the olive fashion hat upon her hat. Mimi looked around wondering if anyone else expected the sky to just open up on them. "I kind of feel a bit of déjà vu."

"Five years ago it was sunny with no warning when the gate opened. I don't think that's going to happen to us today." Jyou stated with sureness as he looked around. He himself was dressed for the weather not expecting the seasonal temperatures to return any time soon. He wore a simple black sweater with some denim jeans.

Koushiro wore an orange long sleeved shirt with green trousers in anticipation of the cold temperatures. "I personally can't help but feeling this weather is abnormal though. Whether it is from a digimon or something else… It's strange."

"Experts are blaming it on global warming." The young blonde haired teen spoke up looking to his elders. Takeru was dressed in a long sleeve top that was forest green over the torso, but had light green sleeves. He also wore a pair of olive green shorts. "I'm not so sure though."

"What else could explain things? Those experts want to keep the public from breaking out in an uproar." Yamato stated calmly as his cobalt eyes glanced to the sky. His outfit consisted of a gray turtleneck sweater and black trousers.

"Something in me feels like this is a matter for the chosen children to investigate." Taichi declared looking to his teammates. His hazel eyes looked around to the six members who had turned their attention to him. He felt a pang of absence remembering that his sister had opted against joining their friends. Taichi straightened his golden shirt and khaki cargo shorts as he looked to the sky.

"Where would we even begin?" Mimi questioned placing a hand on Taichi's forearm to gain his attention.

The group was quiet for a moment as many thoughts went through everyone's mind. Sora was the one to look around at the group members as most was either looking to the ground in frustration or to the sky in concern.

"I think… part of me really does wish this strange storm has something to do with the Digimon World." Takeru admitted not looking up to his friends.

Koushiro found himself nodding without even really thinking about the repercussions to their desire. "It would be nice to see our partners again."

"Today really does feel like the first day we traveled to the Digimon World. The seven of us met up after the storm hit." Yamato reminisced with a small smile on his lips.

His younger brother found himself frowning as he thought about his best friend. "It's strange… Hikari-chan is absent again. It really does add to the nostalgia."

At this comment the group turned to look to the younger boy as a silence overtook them. Hikari truly was a key component to their team even if their adventures had started without her. Sure she missed the battles with Devimon and Etemon, but that did not mean she wasn't important in their journey.

"She told me she wasn't feeling well this morning." Taichi stated grimly.

Jyou frowned wondering why it sounded like Taichi was bothered by this statement. "Do you think she lied or something?"

Letting out a soft sigh, the leader ran his hand through his messy hair. "Ya know, I don't know."

Mimi frowned as she squeezed her friend's arm in reassurance. "Taichi-san thinks that Hikari-chan has been acting funny lately." Mimi admitted to the group earning a glare from the boy beside her. Taichi had not wanted the others to know of his suspicions of his younger sister. This caused the girl to shrink back slightly releasing the boy's arm slowly.

Takeru had been aware of Hikari's behavior as he looked sadly to the boy he admired so much. "Hikari-chan just hasn't been herself lately. If you ask her she'll tell you everything is fine and nothing is bothering her."

"That sounds like the Hikari-chan that I know." Koushiro stated a bit puzzled. "You said it yourself Taichi-san, Hikari-chan does not like to let others know what is bothering her."

"I'm sure she'll be back to her normal self in no time. Whatever is bothering her, she'll get over it." Sora added optimistically with a smile upon her face.

Takeru shook his head looking to the girl's brother wondering his thoughts. The blonde decided to continue first. "It's not just that she's hiding something, whatever it is seems to be draining her of life."

"Life?" Jyou questioned.

"Not literally." Taichi decided to take over at this point. "But, she spends a lot of time alone as if she's deep in thought. I can tell she hasn't been sleeping well. There are bags under her eyes and her features have paled.

"Was she ever that tan to begin with?" Yamato questioned hoping to maybe lighten the mood knowing this would be to no avail as instead he earned a glare from both his best friend and his brother.

"Maybe we should go to your house Taichi?" Sora suggested standing up from her seat.

"It would be nice to get out of the chilly weather. Maybe we can help Hikari-chan? I'm sure even if she didn't want to leave the house, she'll be happy to see us." The strawberry blonde suggested with a genuine smile across her face as she reached her hand out to her friend.

Shrugging Taichi decided to take his friend's hand. The instant the leader took hold of the chosen child of purity's hand a shock seemed to hit him as a single snow drop landed upon their interlocked hands.

Everyone's attention appeared to catch the flake sitting upon the couple's hand. Within seconds the one flake became many as it appeared as though the sky opened upon them…

* * *

Deciding to not attend the reunion hadn't really affected the young brunette as much as she had thought it might. In fact, for a good chunk of the morning she had wondered how she would tell her brother that she just didn't feel up to being around all of their friends, especially one particular blonde in particular. Besides, today marked the five year anniversary the other children had entered the Digimon World. She herself had not joined the team until the fourth of August after Vamdemon had invaded their town. Sometimes it felt as though she was no more than an afterthought. It was a hard feeling to deal with, but she didn't share all the memories with the others and at times she felt like an outsider.

Letting out a sigh, the girl felt her head begin to pound lightly. Hikari curled up in her bed hugging a plush pillow tightly as she as she felt tired. How long had this battle been going on? A feeling that someone was calling out to her overtook her once more. This time, however, the brunette noticed she was wide awake. She had only felt the calling in her dream.

 _'_ _Chosen one…'_

Sitting up slowly, Hikari felt her breath slow as her eyes seemed to cloud over. She could feel waves around her. Despite the fact that the girl was inside sitting on her soft bed, her surroundings seemed to slowly haze. A fog suddenly began to surround her, blinking, the girl slowly looked to the area beneath her. Again water met her ankles. This time, however, Hikari felt part of her instead of struggling against the scenery, accepting it. Her clouded eyes looked up once more as she saw that shadow in the distance.

 _'_ _It is time… Come to us…'_

Hikari gasped as her body appeared to go numb and the waves around her body seemed to stir restlessly. As the waves increased the girl felt her heart rate pick up as she blinked in confusion and leaned her weight back upon her left leg as she covered her face before everything around her seemed to submerge on her. This time, Hikari did not feel as though she could wake up, there was nothing she could do, no one to save her. It was in that moment the tides turned and everything changed…

* * *

 _A/N: What do you think is happening? Both groups kind of were left with cliff hangers. Please leave some reviews, what do you like? What might need some changing? Things really pick up from here on out. The set has been staged and I feel the heart of the story can begin now. I really hope you guys enjoyed~_


	6. When a Light is Tainted

_A/N: I'd love to give a special shout out to Xanpluto for being the first to review! Thank you so much~_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: "When a Light is Tainted"**

Cold moist air caressed Hikari's cheek causing her to rouse slightly. Rough grains of sand rubbed against her cheek as the girl slowly opened her hazel eyes. For a moment she took in her surroundings noticing that she was no longer at her apartment. With a lack of energy, the girl used her arms to push herself off the sand into a kneeling position. Her hazel eyes instantly found the ocean beside her. Instantly, the girl felt her skin crawl and her breath stopped. It felt as though her heart was going to beat out of her chest. This was the world she had dreamt about.

After recovering from the momentary shock, Hikari noted that this world was neither Earth, nor the Digimon World. What was this place, she wondered to herself. Just as in her dreams, this place appeared uninhabited and silent. An eerie dark feeling overtook the teen causing her to shudder and wrap her arms instinctively around her body. "Where… am I?" She mumbled to herself before rising to her feet.

All around a feeling of stillness was in the air. Something about this world did not feel right. Blinking, the girl tried to find any familiar landmarks or clues as to where she was. She was certain that wherever she was, she was very far from her home. Perhaps this was the Digimon World, she thought to herself as she began wandering the coast. "Tailmon?" She questioned softly wondering if the gloved feline would come chasing her any moment.

When the cold breeze of the ocean picked up, Hikari stopped and turned to the waves. This definitely was the same ocean from her dreams. Why had she been summoned here? What was the meaning of this?

"Onii-chan!" Hikari called out without really knowing why. Ever since she was younger he always seemed to be able to save her. Would he be able to save her from wherever she had ended up? Why did she feel like she needed saving?

Hikari felt herself shudder once more as she wrapped her arms tighter around herself. A sense of panic and fear overtook her. The girl's gray tunic rustled with the breeze as a chilling presence appeared behind her. Without needing to turn around, she could tell that she was no longer alone. Her heart pounded in her chest as she drew in a breath of air fearfully. Slowly the child turned her body afraid of meeting what was behind her.

A tall shadowy creature stood face to face with the human girl after she slowly turned her body. The creature was by itself and had its red eyes fixated on her. "You are here." The creature's chilling voice stated startling Hikari slightly.

"W-who are you?" She questioned with a tone of fear and panic.

The creature never took its eyes off of Hikari which brought her discomfort. She did not know where she was or why this creature made her feel so uneasy. It did not reply to her question, causing her to feel more uncomfortable as if that were even possible. "Are you a digimon?" The girl tried questioning once more.

"That is not of importance." The creature replied using the same chilling voice as before.

Hikari wasn't entirely sure what that was supposed to mean. Why couldn't the creature just tell her if he was a digimon or not? It didn't make sense to her as she puckered her lips ever so slightly in annoyance. However, her annoyance didn't last too long as she was reminded of her strange surroundings. "Where are we?"

"You have been chosen."

"Chosen?" Hikari questioned not sure why this response caused her stomach to churn. For some reason whatever she had been chosen for was scaring her. She felt like this wasn't a place she was supposed to be. Her body yelled to run from this creature, to try and find her friends. Yet, something kept her body from moving. "I-I want to go home." The girl stammered as her body only allowed her weight to shift to her back leg in an attempt to distance herself from the creature.

The creature shortened the distance between himself and Hikari as he placed a stone cold, moist hand upon the girl's cheek. His eyes bore into hers. "You must stay, you must let go." The voice seemed to echo almost as if commanding her to follow his bidding.

Fog increased around the two as the world seemed to blur around her. A haze overtook the girl's vision as she could not take her eyes off the creature in front of her. "I must stay, I must let go." She quietly repeated.

"You are the answer. You will save us."

As the fog increased in density the air chilled causing a shiver to crawl over the girl's skin. Her eyes still remained fixated on the shadowy figure before her. The words did not seem to be an explanation, but rather some strange sort of command. Wanting to break her gaze, Hikari tried to pull away; however, she seemed absorbed in a trance.

Suddenly a great force from within brought a pang of pain to the chosen child of light's head causing her to shrink back and scrunch her eyes shut. "NO!" She screamed violently as a bright light appeared to emanate from her body. Hikari did not know what this pain was coming from, nor did she understand what was going on, but in that instance every fiber of her being appeared to reject what was taking place. She needed to run. Opening her eyes, the teenager made sure to not make eye contact with the creature in front of her as she turned and began sprinting as if her life depended on it. As she ran, the girl could feel her heart pounding fiercely within her chest. Panic overtook the girl as tears welled within her hazel eyes. _'Onii-chan.'_

* * *

Inside a dark world a cave housed a runaway human child. The girl had chosen the cave as her safe haven in an attempt to escape her pursuer and allowed herself time to gather her thoughts. She had been dreaming of this world and that creature for weeks. How had this happened? Again a chill overtook her body as the girl felt as though a tendril of sorts was licking her figure. Little to Hikari's knowledge, several dark tendrils quivered with anticipation as they circled her body.

As the brunette sat within the cave, her arms tightly grasped one another as they were folding around her legs. Never before had such fear and panic overwhelmed the girl. Despite having faced several evil beings in the past, nothing seemed to compare to this moment. For some reason the girl felt helpless. She yearned to have someone to talk with; someone she knew had her best interest in mind.

Many thoughts raced within the teenager's mind as she thought about the friends she held so dear to her. The adventures that had taken place and the battles that had been won. Why was it in this moment those all seemed insignificant to her. That companionship and friendship felt as though they were simply emotions from some tall tale. If that really existed among the group, wouldn't her friends have been there to help her? No one reached out to help her in her struggle. She knew it was known that something had been wrong with her. Why? Why hadn't they tried to help her.

The thoughts grew darker within the child as the loneliness tore within. Deep within Hikari came a feeling of desperation. There was no one who would save her. She had been pushed aside and no one would be looking for her. Surprisingly, this did not seem to shock the girl. Part of her always felt as though she did not belong. These feelings surfaced causing the tendrils of darkness to tremor once more in pleasure as their volume appeared to increase. Hikari rested her forehead upon her knees as the tendrils took the opportunity to embrace the teenager's slender figure. It was in that moment the feeling of light and hope began to flicker as the child let out a soft cry grasping her limbs tightly in deep unexplainable sorrow.

* * *

A group of dark creatures herded together in front of a bigger creature. This creature resembled the deity Cthulhu: A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore-feet, and long, narrow wings behind. This creature was a mix between a giant octopus, a man and a dragon, hundreds of meters tall, with human-looking arms and legs and a pair of rudimentary wings on its back.

"Dagomon-sama, the chosen one has run." A messenger informed fearing retribution for failure.

Within the undersea chamber the creatures shifted nervously awaiting the lord's outburst, but instead a low, dark chuckle filled the air instead. "The darkness trembles with allure. Within this child resides the potential for great evil. Her will is weak and unconscious desire for release strong. The prophecy shall come to fruition and her power ours. This child of light shall sacrifice herself for our effort." He beamed evilly as his red eyes glowed. "As the tendrils continue to feed, she will no longer be able to resist."

At this proclamation, the creatures grew silent as their master discussed the predicted events. A prophecy had been told of the child of light being overcome by the darkness. This day had been long awaited by the creatures in this Dark World. "The chosen one shall lead us to glory!" One shouted in high spirits.

Another creature echoed, "no longer shall we be imprisoned in this place!"

In the center of the chamber resides a whirlpool of knowledge. This whirlpool could be used to survey the land within the domain. Images of a young child suffering were brought to attention. Licking his lips, the master could not help but gaze at the being that would bring his innermost desires to reality. Yes, it was with the use of this child that the darkness of his world would spread. Her resolve was weak and his will too strong for her to resist. This young catalyst would become a fine vessel to do his bidding. With this thought, the large Dagomon let out a victorious roar with a grin on his face. "Yes my minions! Take note Kurame No Mono, today begins our reign!"

Automatically the dark creatures, the Kurame No Mono, roared in triumph. With this chosen child's power all would fall to their glory and darkness would inhabit all worlds.

* * *

 _A/N: Another chapter written, oh my~ I've actually already got a good chunk of the next chapter written too. I decided to break them up for many reasons. As always I love reviews, so feel free to leave comments._


	7. Making Sense of a Prophecy

**Chapter 7: "Making Sense of a Prophecy"**

A warm breeze flowed through the air rustling the long blades of grass. The scent of fresh vegetation caused a brunette haired boy groan in confusion. There was a pang of pain in his head from where it felt as though he had hit it. Not quite wanting to wake up, the boy simply listened to the sounds around him. Part of him wondered what was going on as there was no longer the sound of the busy city around him.

"Taichi."

A recognizable voice called the teen's name causing him to stir briefly. Part of his gut clenched as a feeling of familiarity overtook him. He had felt this way before, long ago.

"Taichi."

Again he was being called and this time the boy thought about the voice he was hearing. Where had he heard that voice before? His body seemed to stiffen as he wanted to open his eyes, but he found himself too sore to do so. He was no longer in the park was he? What had happened?

"Taichi!"

Everything suddenly came rushing to Taichi as he quickly opened his eyes and ignoring his pain sat up in a hurry. His hazel eyes darted around before landing on a small orange dinosaur sitting before him. The teen's heart raced as part of him wondered if this was some sort of dream. "Agumon?!" He stated breathlessly.

A smile found the dinosaur's face as he moved closer to his part, happy he was finally away. "Taichi!"

"Agumon!" Without any warning, Taichi lunged forward taking the creature tightly within his arms. This couldn't be a dream, could it? More than anything Taichi hoped this moment were real and that nothing would wake him.

"You finally came! I've been hoping and praying you would be here."

Suddenly, the child of courage noticed exactly where he was and remembered what had happened to his arrival. "Agumon." He started slowly sitting back and releasing his friend from his embrace. "There is trouble."

It was almost as though the teenage human wasn't asking a question but seeking confirmation from his partner. Agumon simply nodded his head knowing his partner had sensed it somehow.

"Taichi-san! Agumon!" A melodic voice rang as a girl jogged from around a group of shrubbery. Behind the slim girl came a plant creature with a bright pink flower atop her head.

"Mimi-chan, you made it too?" The boy asked knowing this was a silly question. He found it safe to assume the whole clan would have been summoned with him as well.

The girl nodded with a stern look upon her face. "This can't be good." Even though Mimi had greatly missed Palmon, she did not like the idea of having to fight again. There was no way this reunion was because the God knew their longings to see their allies. If the children had been summoned to the Digimon World once again it was with a grave duty attached.

"Mimi-kun! Taichi!" The oldest chosen child shouted waving to the couple frantically with one arm while holding his seal of a partner in the other.

"Jyou-senpai, Gomamon." Mimi greets turning her caramel eyes to look at the duo.

Following Jyou members of the group trickled over to the open field one by one until Sora was the last to join the group. "Wait, aren't we missing someone?" The ginger haired girl questioned double counting their numbers silently in her head.

"Hikari-chan isn't here." Takeru stated with a slight frown upon his face.

All of the children's dispositions slumped as they thought about their friend who was not present. That feeling they had in their world returned as they thought about the youngest girl.

"You never know, she may have just landed somewhere else." The older blonde suggested looking to his wolf-like partner.

Tentomon shook his head back and forth looking to the children. "When you all come to our world you are drawn to where we are. Hikari-han would have been called to Tailmon."

The guinea pig with wings jumped from Takeru's arms and levitated. "Yeah, Tailmon was just around here somewhere. Maybe she went looking for Hikari?"

"She wasn't summoned." A sad tone interrupted as a white feline with gloves golden in color approached the group.

"Tailmon!" Many shouted looked to the cat that had seen better days. Something about the way in which the cat was walking made it seem as though all of the energy had been zapped from her body.

Tailmon was barely able to make it over to the chosen children before collapsing and reverting back to Plotmon. Mimi quickly rushed over to the puppy and scooped her up in her arms while kneeling on the ground. "Plotmon, are you alright?" The girl questioned full of concern.

"What is going on?" Taichi questioned in frustration as he noticed a wave of dark clouds begin conjuring within the sky.

A chilling breeze filled the areas as all of the children and digimon looked to the sky. "It's happening again." Gomamon was the first to speak and draw his attention away from the sky.

"What's happening again?" Koushiro questioned in confusion.

"For the past few weeks storms have plagued our world." Gabumon stated quietly.

A pink bird nodded in response and looked to all of the children. "We don't think they are normal storms. Not only that, a light always seems to wash the storms away."

"A light?" Takeru questioned not understanding how a light could get rid of a storm.

"This is all because of the prophecy." Suddenly, a mysterious voice came from behind the bushes.

Feeling a bit defensive, Taichi moved towards the direction of the voice and narrowed his eyes trying to focus on whom or what possessed the voice. "Who's there?!" The leader demanded as Agumon took his place protectively in front of his partner.

"Back down my children." An older gentleman instructed as he slowly allowed his appearance be seen.

"Gennai-san!" Echoed the chosen children as their eyes widened in shock. For some reason they hadn't been expecting to see the man right off the get-go this time around. Normally he was more of the work in the background type of guy.

Koushiro was the first of the group to recover as he took a step towards Gennai. "What prophecy are you talking about Gennai-san?"

The old man's eyes looked to the children afraid of reciting the lines. He knew a good chunk of what was referenced in the ancient text. Because of this, he couldn't help but wonder if the children would be prepared if this prophecy did indeed come true. It would put a great deal of stress on their bonds of friendship. He couldn't help speculating on whether or not they would be able to overcome what had been predicted. Taking in a deep breath he knew that it was his duty to relay to ancient text to the children and their comrades.

 _"_ _When seals of darkness knock, a Light is tainted.  
Ancient spirits do the dark lord's bidding, striving for consumption.  
Light draws the darkness until the Purity fades.  
The day of awakening sets the world's fate.  
Armies plummet from the sky.  
The only Hope lies in the Friendship ties.  
Love finds no solution although the Courage honorable.  
Only through Knowledge and Sincerity do the tides turn.  
Combined together in all, Light must return to burn."_

"What the hell does that mean?" The brunette leader shouted in aggravation looking to the old man standing before them.

With a perplexed looked, Sora seemed to be thinking over the words that had been recited to them. "Did anyone else notice…" She started asking before taking a quick pause to think over her own words. "All eight of our crests were mentioned?"

Koushiro blinked for a moment as he replied the words in his head before deciding to repeat them with particular emphasis. " ** _Light_** draws the darkness until **_Purity_** fades. The only **_Hope_** lies in the **_Friendship_** ties. **_Love_** finds no solution although the **_Courage_** is honorable. Only through **_Knowledge_** and **_Sincerity_** do the tides turn."

"That's not all Koushiro-san." The youngest member of the team interjected, gaining the attention of all around him. "Light is mentioned multiple times." He thought of his best friend and the crest in which she possessed.

Nodding in response, Jyou looked around pointing his finger up as if his statements were extremely important. "When seals of darkness knock, a **_Light_** is tainted. **_Light_** draws the darkness until Purity fades. Combined together in all, **_Light_** must return to burn."

"Why is Light mentioned more than the others?" Sora questioned not feeling any more confident despite the keys points they were trying to place together.

Letting out a sigh, the group grew quiet as each of the humans tried to piece together just what this riddle warned them. After moments Yamato decided to speak. "I think it is important that we take these words seriously." His statement earned nods from his companions.

"Remember VenomVamdemon? That prophecy came true." Agumon stated with concern.

With a slight shudder, the strawberry blonde haired teen nodded. "Scary."

"But where do we even start?" Koushiro questioned knowing that his knowledge and genius would not be enough to decipher the text.

Pausing for a moment, Jyou tried to think of what would be best. "Well, why not just start with the beginning? That's what we did before, right?"

"If I remember correctly, before we didn't find out until 6 minutes before VenomVamdemon was reborn." Gomamon pointed out causing a frown from his partner.

"That's true." Taichi added feeling a bit defeated already. "All of the other stuff happened first until we figured out the number of the beast."

"Let's start there then. When is all of this stuff supposed to go down?" Yamato questioned wondering if perhaps there was a line in the prophecy warning them of a time to be wary of.

Again, silence overtook the group and glances jumped from person to person. No one really knew exactly where the time-frame may have been mentioned. A sense of urgency and stress filled the air as the teens moved to sit down and get comfortable while talking about the information reveled in the prophecy. Finally after some deliberation, the youngest member spoke up once more. "Line 4 gives us the time-frame." He declared with certainty receiving some confused looks from his friends.

"What was line 4 again?" Taichi asked rubbing his head trying to run through all of the lines again. It was much more difficult than he had anticipated. To him, it felt like there was just too much being thrown at them. Why hadn't Gennai deciphered this text so they would just have to move forward with kicking whoever's butt was behind this?

Mimi, whose arms was intertwined with her friend's looked up to him. "The day of awakening sets the world's fate." She stated as her grip around his arm tightened slightly as if indicating that she was a bit fearful.

In return, Taichi gently laid his hand upon Mimi's and smiled softly at her hoping to provide her with some reassurance and comfort. After this action, he returned his attention to the matter at hand. "Okay, the day of awakening. That doesn't really give us a specific date or number though."

"Sure it does." Once more the group turned to Takeru who had appeared to be piecing together parts of the text quickly. They were not sure where he was going or how he could be so certain of his deductions, however, all of them wanted to hear him out. "04.08."

His statement gained puzzled looks from everyone around him as they wondered what was so special about the day that would lead him to think it was the 'day of awakening'. Many of them felt as though he was taking a wild guess with hopes that having the day further away from the current date that they would have time to prepare.

"What makes you say August 4th, Takeru-kun?" Sora wondered, but did not hint that she doubted his statement. In fact, for some reason her gut was telling her that perhaps he was on to something.

"That's the day we beat Vamdemon." Takeru replied still not gaining the understanding of his friends as they looked to one another still unsure.

Jyou ran his hand through his dark locks as he let out a frustrated sigh. "What does Vamdemon have to do with this? Do you think because it is another prophecy it is talking about him? Is he our enemy?" The teen questioned this time looking in the direction of Gennai who had otherwise been quiet since citing the prophecy.

"It doesn't have so much to do with Vamdemon as it does with Hikari." The boy added wishing someone else would catch on to what he was talking about. It made him feel uncomfortable like perhaps his reasoning was flawed somewhere.

Still not feeling as though she was following along, Mimi couldn't help but ask, "Hikari-chan?"

All of a sudden Koushiro's eyes widened as a sense of understanding overtook him. "Light!" He shouted feeling as though finally it was becoming clear to him. "August 4th is the day that Hikari-chan's crest first shined. It was in the battle against Vamdemon that the crest of Light awakened."

With this declaration a sense of shock mixed with concern emanated from the group of teenager. Understanding that the day of awakening was intertwined with the crest of light brought a strange sense of discomfort to the group. Hikari had been absent from their earlier meeting and now wasn't present in the Digimon World.

"Gennai-san…" Takeru started looking over in the direction of the wise man. "Hikari-chan wasn't summoned to the Digimon World, was she?"

At this, the old man shook his head. Before Gennai was able to respond Yamato cleared his throat and wore a grim expression upon his face. "It's because she's been tainted."

Gasps came from everyone as they thought about the first line of the prophecy once more. "The prophecy is already coming true: when seals of darkness knock, a Light is tainted." Piyomon voiced the words she was certain were on everyone's minds.

With that statement, Taichi couldn't hold back his frustrations anymore. Hearing that his sister had been tainted and that in some way this whole prophecy was intertwined with her, the leader just needed to explode. "Ah, shit. Where the hell do we go from here?"

* * *

 _A/N: Another chapter~ This one contained a lot of dialogue, hope that didn't bother y'all too much. What do you think the prophecy means? The chosen children seem to be pretty good at piecing it together thanks to Takeru who of course seems pretty knowledgeable in regard to things dealing with his best friend._


	8. Taking a Stand

**Chapter 8: "Taking a Stand"**

Flames blazed dimly from wood piled in a clearing of a meadow. Seven human children and 8 digimon circled around the fire as the embers appeared to battle darkness that threatened to engulf the world. The night air brought a chilling eerie feeling to the atmosphere as the overall physique of the group emitted that of uncertainty and bewilderment.

"Nyaromon does not look too well…" A sense of concern washed over the children as their eyes looked in direction of Mimi who held the yellow baby digimon within her arms.

Frowning, Sora looked to the creature wondering why she was having such a rough time. "Why is Nyaromon regressing so much? Did something happen?" All the girl wanted to do was find a way to comfort the creature. "Does it have to do with her being sad that Hikari-chan isn't here?"

"I don't think so Sora-han." Tentomon buzzed as he levitated above the group looking towards his friend. "I had something similar happen before.

"Were you ill?" Jyou questioned wondering if this was some sort of condition that digimon had to deal with, sort of like how humans caught colds.

Not wanting to think of the dark time in his adventure, Koushiro wished the subject would change. Nevertheless, the ginger haired teen knew that it was a very similar situation and a piece of information that may be important moving forward. "It happened during our encounter with Vadermon, when Taichi went back to the Real World."

Yamato's eyes widened as he remembered that time he and his brother had caught up with the younger member. "Was it that time Tentomon evolved to AtlurKabuterimon?"

"During my search for knowledge, I was tricked by the evil Vadermon. By pulling us into his dark universe he managed to get me to exchange my inquisitive mind in order to be granted safety. It was such a silly move at the time, but I didn't know any better. While we were in that world I ignored my friends and turned away from the reasons I had been drawn to this world."

"Somehow in the whole mess instead of being able to use Koushiro-han's power it felt as though his actions were hurting me. I slowly became weak and hopeless as my friend drifted deeper and deeper into the darkness. Before too long I became Babumon and I was certain that I had lost Koushiro-han forever."

Takeru looked to Patamon frowning as he thought about what would happen if he ever did something similar to his friend. "So… because Hikari has been taken by darkness, Tailmon has suffered?"

"Can you imagine knowing your partner was in danger and there was nothing you could do to help or worse, your help not being wanted at all?" Gomamon spoke his thoughts aloud without taking his eyes off his own partner. No matter what he would do whatever he could to protect the oldest child. If ever he was to fail, Gomamon knew he'd be overtaken by sorrow.

"You know, none of this makes sense really. How is it that this darkness was able to target Hikari-chan? How could we have not noticed?" Instantly the oldest child regretted his words as he noticed both Taichi and Takeru tense in response. "I mean…" He attempted to backtrack, but it was too late.

"I should have paid closer attention…" The messy haired teen stated through gritted teeth. His fists were clenched so tightly he was certain to have bruises from the force of his fingers crushing his palms. It was true that he should have looked out for his sister better. A few weeks ago he had noticed something strange coming over her, but how was he to know it wasn't some stupid female phase? How was he to know powers of darkness were trying to swallow her?

"Wherever there is light, naturally there will also be darkness." Mimi stated softly lightly tightening her grip around the small, frail creature within her arms. The words of the digital spirit seemed to spurt out of her mouth without a second thought. Something told her these words needed to be voiced. "Darkness and light are like two sides of the same coin."

Yamato did not particularly want to remember that moment in the past when the digital entity had revealed itself to them. After all, this moment came after he had wanted nothing more than to beat the living shit out of his best friend in hopes of finding the answers in which he had been searching for. "Remember what happened next? When the balance was skewed darkness nearly ate us all up."

"But why?" This was all Taichi could think to ask. He wanted to know why the darkness was going after his sister, why she had supposedly been tainted, why any and all of this was happening. Feeling his frustration increase, the boy couldn't help but punch the ground in aggravation.

This time it was Takeru who thought to add his two cents into the conversation. "It had to be Hikari-chan." The group wondered what he meant by this as he earned confused glances. Letting out a soft sigh Takeru shifted slightly under the stares. "When you put your hand up to a flashlight the shadow that comes from this action is widespread, right? If you were to take your hand further and further from the light, that darkness fades and is not as big. The darkness is attracted to Hikari-chan's light. It thinks by getting to her, it'll become more powerful."

"Power is attracted to power." Patamon added looking to his partner with a frown.

Silence overtook the children as the crackling fire became the only noise to be heard. A cold breeze drifted about eventually claiming the flames of the fire and dissipating the remaining light in the area. No one moved for what felt like moments as the darkness attempted to trap the children within its grasp. Slowly a fog surrounded the group creating a barrier around the group.

* * *

 _"_ _How could you not protect your sister?"_ A mysterious sinister voice echoed through the air. Stealthy tendrils crawled around the leader of the chosen children. His figure tensed at the thought of letting his sister down. She had needed him and instead of helping he had turned from her. Feelings of doubt and regret found the leader causing him to sink and bury his hands deep within the blades of the grass.

 _"_ _No!"_ A voice deep within Taichi screamed as the boy lifted his head. These thoughts and feelings could not devour him. He felt as though too much was on the line to give up so easily. Sure, there were mistakes that had been made. No one ever expected him to be perfect. In fact, Taichi accepted the fact that he wasn't perfect. This did not mean he could give up on his sister, his friends, or the world. There was too much at stake!

* * *

Tendrils hungrily sought out a strawberry haired teen. _"It's no use. Lives will be lost, why risk your own?"_ At this thought Mimi fought back tears. Memories of the lives lost in the war against the Dark Masters and Vamdemon flashed within her mind. If anyone were to die here… Images of Chuumon, Piccolomon, Whamon, and Leomon entered the girl's mind. Tears welled within her caramel orbs.

Before the panic was allowed to set in, the girl stood up slowly. A look of determination raged within her gaze. In the past, the girl would have filled with tears and excuses to run. Now, the strawberry blonde knew where she belonged and what needed to be done. Here was not where she was meant to dwell. _"If we don't fight lives will still be lost. Palmon!"_ Mimi cried out washing away the feelings of insecurity and fear.

* * *

A familiar feeling of loneliness filled Koushiro. It wasn't as though he was a stranger to such feelings. Having grown up with doubts of his parents' love for him, the boy knew what having darkness around felt like. He turned to his computers in an attempt to hide from his parents and the truth he had discovered. From within the darkness, the boy could sense the attempt at pushing such depressing thoughts to his consciousness.

 _"_ _I have been down this road before, I won't go back. I can't do that to Tentomon!"_ Koushiro declared clearing his mind of any and all negativity. This was not a time to question himself or allow himself to be run down. Darkness could not be allowed to drown out the light.

* * *

Feelings of failure and fear resided within Takeru as he faced images of the battle with Devimon. Those emotions of losing his partner and having not been strong enough to combat the darkness and win without any cost stirred within the boy. _"You'll just let everyone down again. It's hopeless…"_

Instantly as those words circled around his mind, the blonde felt something within him burn. It wasn't a painful burn, instead something warm and comforting radiating within him. Despite how hopeless a situation felt, there was always hope to be found. Time and time again this had been proven as he and his friends went on adventures throughout this world. Now was not the time to turn on that special quality within him. His best friend needed his special quality more than anything in this moment. Takeru knew he couldn't throw in the towel!

* * *

 _"_ _Again everything rests on your shoulders. Why can't these troubles leave you alone?"_ A chilling presence attempted to sway Sora's stance. The girl had been in a similar situation in the past. She remembered the pressure to please Taichi and bring an end to the trouble of the Digimon World. That feeling of responsibility and obligation weight her down. It was in that moment she felt suffocated by the darkness around her. Even so, this time she would not fall.

Looking to the darkness surrounding her, Sora knew that other depended on her. It wasn't that she held the weight of everything on her own shoulders. No, the girl knew that this responsibility was something that she accepted. Jyou and Yamato, her friends, opened her eyes to the truth behind the responsibility they shared. Each of them had chosen to fight because they wanted to. If it hadn't been for that desire, they never would have gotten as far as they did. Being chosen did not mean she had no choices. Sora understood that they all had choices and it was up to them to decide to make the right ones! Running away and caving under pressure was not right. _"We can do this!_ I _can do this!"_

* * *

Fog grew thicker and thicker as a dark haired teen felt his skin crawl in reaction to the environment. Many times in the past he had encountered such feelings. Those feelings that made him question his friends and himself. These moments led to poor decisions. Decisions he made that ultimately affected all of those around him. Yamato had used his revelations of the past to help Sora throw away her own feelings of doubt. Darkness attempted to reach out and claim him once more.

Understanding that the darkness would never give up trying, the blonde haired chosen child knew now more than ever he would need to rely on those around him. When fighting with those dear, the light of friendship always seemed to shine bright. _"I'm not in this alone and neither are my friends. We choose this and we control our own actions!"_ The boy shouted within his mind as he tightly held a small device within his hand.

* * *

Within the darkness the oldest member recalled all those instances of fear he had encountered in the past. Upon arriving in this strange world fear was a common feeling for Jyou. One challenge after another presented itself and that fear of the unknown returned again and again. Every time the darkness swirled around patiently awaiting those weak spots and moments to attack. _"You'll never be strong enough."_

Jyou felt those dark feelings attempting to enter his heart, to fill him with doubt. Part of him felt as though not fighting would be easy, throwing in the towel without a second thought. However, the dark haired boy thought of his partner who had been through hell numerous times for his sake and the sake of the whole world. All of those adventures with his friends and the lessons that they had learned together. His mind especially thought of Yamato and all he had been able to take away from the younger teen. _"As long as we have each other!"_ These simple words held power as warmth began to radiate from within Jyou.

* * *

From within the group slowly light from small devices began to grow in strength. Slowly one by one the light from the digivice began to expel the shadows and caress the chosen children and their digimon partners. Each child demonstrated an understanding that this was going to be much more than a physical battle, but a battle of mind, spirit, and emotion. Determination overtook the children as slowly, one by one, they rose to their feet clenching their small devices within their hands.

"We can't let the darkness get the best of us, no matter what it tries." Sora announced remembering that specific moment in her past when she nearly fell to the forces of darkness deep within her heart. "It isn't going to be easy…"

"We can do it." Takeru stated wearing a determined and serious expression upon his face. The youngest member of the group clenched both of his fists in determination as he thought about all of the situations he and his friends had encountered in the past. "We were able to beat Devimon and all the other evil beings that came at us. Each time the darkness wanted to consume us."

"Sometimes it was able to succeed." Gabumon stated in rebuttal looking to his own partner in particular.

Yamato smiled softly as he knelt to his partner's side and placed his hand upon his furry shoulder. "But we never allowed it to stay. We were able to expel and overcome the darkness every time."

"Remember when we fought Apocalymon? All of you realized the importance of your destinies." Agumon reminded the kids as he thought about the world of data.

Nyaromon slowly stirred within Mimi's arms as she looked to the group of her friends. A wave of extreme failure and sorrow filled the creature. Her partner, the one who she shared the most intimate bond with was at war and there was nothing she could do to help. However, Nyaromon knew better than to ever give up hope. Time and time again her chosen child had showed her that hope was something that they must always turn towards. "We must never let the light in our hearts die out." The small creature quoted meekly remembering Hikari's once spoken words.

"Nyaromon…" The group all stated sadly as silence filled the air. Each child and digimon thought about how difficult this upcoming battle would be. There were no guarantees of what was in store for them, nor did they know how to overcome the darkness. However, giving up was never the answer. Somehow, someway the chosen children and chosen digimon would find a way to rekindle the light within their friend and bring peace back to the worlds.

* * *

 _A/N: I want to put out a fair warning that I have finals this week so writing may take a back burner role. However, I wanted to get another chapter before really focusing on my final. I'd love to come back to reviews~ Thank you for those that have already reviewed, subscribed, or even placed this story in your favorites. It's amazing to have support and will motivate me to continue pursuing this storyline!_


	9. Light Draws the Darkness

**Chapter 9 "Light Draws the Darkness"**

Within the haven of a dark cave, a small teenager fearfully attempted to keep her arms wrapped around her knees as if to protect her from the world around her. Dark thoughts inhabited her mind. _'You are weak.' 'You are only ever used.' 'No one understands you.'_ Each chilling statement brought Hikari closer and closer to drowning. There was nothing more that the girl wanted than to be able to dismiss such statements, the fight those feelings welling within, but she found herself without ammo, without the strength. In the past it had been on through the strength of others that she was able to fight, to be strong. Now, there was no one to help her, no one to give her strength. _'You could be strong.' 'Your true destiny waits.' 'No one would question you.'_

Slowly Hikari released her legs as she forced herself to stand for the first time in hours. The girl didn't even notice all the tendrils surrounding her body fighting to devour her. Instinctively, she felt the strong desire to leave the case. Without much thought in her mind, the girl began to wander from the cave. Upon leaving the cave the dark world greeted her skin by sending cold chills to kiss her skin. No longer did this temperature appear to bother her. Hikari blinked as she noticed fog setting in around her. Part of the chosen child was exhausted, leaving her with no desire to run anymore. For some reason or another, the air brought her a sense of comfort. The way in which is caressed her skin, that strange feeling of pressure being taken off of her. Hikari felt overwhelmed as her eye lids dropped at the girl slowly began to fall.

Before the girl was able to collapse to the ground, however, one of the Kurame No Mono caught the girl within his arms. His red eyes studied the child's face before slowly placing a chilling touch to her cheek. "From now on you shall belong to the Master." He declared before bringing his face in closer to hers. Even in her unconscious state the creature trembled at the power she possessed. He couldn't help but close the space between them and allow his tongue to taste the chosen's skin. This caused the creature to shudder in pleasure just as the tendrils surrounding her body did. He ached for her. The Kurame No Mono knew she would belong to Dagomon, but the thought of such power made him enjoy this moment looking to their soon to be dark angel.

* * *

A young girl the age of eight stood in a dark wooded area. Loneliness filled the girl as panic overtook her. Within her chest her heart raced loudly as she felt she could hear it with her eyes. Taking a deep gulp, the child began to run as fast as she could, not entirely sure her destination. Suddenly the dark forest changed into a cold unwelcoming ocean. The child found herself shivering and looking around. That was when she spotted the one person she had been unconsciously been looking for. "Onii-chan!"

The bushy haired teen turned to look at his sister with anger written all over his appearance. "Where have you been?!" His voice was cold and harsh causing the small girl to shrink back.

Her eyes looked to the older boy as she tried to speak but words didn't seem to manifest right away. Seeing the look of annoyance and anger brought disappointment and regret to the child. Would she ever be good enough? "I thought I heard something… But it was just my imagination."

Her brother was still fuming with her as he narrowed his eyes. "It's dangerous! Don't wander off on your own."

Always a bother… She would never be good enough in his eyes or anyone else's. _"Everyone looks down on you…"_ A voice whispered around the girl. This caused her to blink and look around. Suddenly the scenery had changed. Instead of being eight years old, Hikari was back to her teenage self. No longer did her brother stand before her, but instead of the dark forest an empty beach was before her. Water caressed her ankles as the wind rustled her auburn hair. The truth of the words hit the girl. Tears began to fill her eyes.

 _"_ _No one understands what you are feeling. No one accepts you."_ The voice taunted in an eerily sympathetic tone.

Chills ran down Hikari's body as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She shut her eyes tight trying to push the thoughts from her mind. She wanted to fight the words, to find some proof against the statements.

 _"_ _Why continue lying?"_ The voice questioned as fog surrounded the girl along with hidden tendrils. The tendrils circled her body in anticipation. Knowing the chosen of light could not resist much longer, the darkness within her was already growing.

 _"_ _Let go… Embrace your destiny!"_

* * *

Hikari's dull eyes shot open as she sat up feeling her head pounding annoyingly. Bringing her hand to hold her temple, the girl wondered where exactly she was. The room she was in appeared colorless. She was sitting on a soft plush bed covered in silk black linens. A feeling of panic began to overtake her before she felt as though something was holding her. Part of her body wanted to reject the touch, but inwardly another part yearned to accept the touch.

Slowly Hikari turned and was surprised to find a boy around her age holding her within his arms. As she looked to the boy a faint blush found the girl's cheeks. She did not remember how she had gotten to this place or what was taking place. "You have been through so much." The boy stated in a saddened tone.

Unable to turn from the boy's face Hikari looked to the dark haired teen. His eyes began to glow red holding her within his gaze. "I have been through so much…" She repeated his words quietly.

Noticing the chosen's lack of resistance a smirk found the boy's features as he placed both of his hands on Hikari's cheeks deepening the trance. "There is no longer a reason to fight."

Without missing a beat the brunette repeated exactly what had been stated. "There is no longer a reason to fight."

"Yagami Hikari, darkness shall bring you comfort from now on. With me you will never suffer again." The voice bellowed as the boy stood from the bed not removing his hypnotic gaze from the child before him.

Dark tendrils entered Hikari's body as the girl's eyes widened. The last ounce of resistance was silenced as the girl felt the insecurities slipping away. All emotion was silenced as the girl became a shell within herself. "With you I shall never suffer." The girl stated slowly.

At this the boy knew that the deed had been accomplished. He closed the distance between himself and the girl knowing his spell had almost completely enchanted the girl. Tendrils of darkness had infiltrated the chosen of light and he would be able to control her however he so desired. With this dark angel one his side, the master of the ocean knew he would fulfill his darkest desires. He along with his minions would spread their domain and leave the place in which they had been sentenced for eternity. "You now belong to me. When I command, you follow. I am your master and you shall choose me above all else!" The boy commanded cupping his hand on the teen's chin.

Hikari's dark gray eyes looked to the boy she saw before her. "I belong to you. When you command, I follow. You are my master and I shall choose you above all else." She acknowledged.

Finally not being able to take the built up desire any longer, the boy sealed his control with a kiss upon Hikari's soft lips. All memories of herself were washed away from her mind as the power of darkness consumed her. From that moment on all that was important to her was completing Lord Dagomon's bidding. Hikari wanted nothing more than to please her Lord.

Upon completing the kiss, the girl was released from the hypnosis, however, she had transformed during the process. No longer did she want to figure out where she was or find her brother. Hikari looked to the boy before she placed her hands on the fabric of her dress and curtsied. "Master, thank you for saving me." The girl did not know what he had saved her from, but within her mind she had been brainwashed to idolize her master and acknowledge the goodness he had done for her.

"No, my dark angel. It is you whom shall save me." He smirked darkly without earning any reaction from the girl. A dark laughter filled the palace as the beginning pieces had fallen into place. With darkness now in control of the light, the world would suffer under his rule.

* * *

The Kurame No Mono were piled in to the chamber room of the Dark Ocean Lord as they awaited his orders. Out a young boy emerged and looked to his followers. "I have taken the form enchanting to our dark angel. For now she is resting as preparations are made to move forward to the awakening day! My minions rejoice! Today a victory has taken place as our dark angel has chosen darkness!"

Cheers filled the chamber as the minions knew their time of happiness was at hand. The chosen of light had meant everything to their advancement and with her following along, nothing could stand in their way now.

"What now Master?" One creature questioned looking to the boy.

Several murmurs filled the small space as creatures debated what the next move would be. They were eager to begin their advancement on other worlds now that the chosen of light was theirs. Not many knew of the full prophecy or the extent of the plan Dagomon had in store.

Hearing his creature hypothesize with one another was humorous to the dark lord. Every part of his body was quivering with anticipation and pleasure as he thought about the girl within his chambers resting. He had never imagined the plan going through so effortlessly. Now he could bring his plans to reality.

With these thoughts, Dagomon smirked to his minions. Their next move was simple and imperative to their success. "Purity must fade."

* * *

 _A/N: Hey hey everyone! Here is chapter 9. It took me quite a while to write because there were so many ways I wanted to take it. But ultimately, I decided to go with this plot line. What do you think? I'm going to work on chapter 10 and warning I think it's going to be intense. I may actually break it into several chapters. There will more than likely be adult content too. I did rate it M after all. Hope you stick around to see how purity fades~_


	10. Until the Purity Fades pt 1

**Chapter 10: "Until the Purity Fades pt. 1"**

Dark fog surrounded the area making any scenery unrecognizable. In this cold darkness a young girl about the age of 10 stood isolated in an elegant pink dress. She turned to catch sight of two monsters approaching her. Shrinking back the russet haired girl shivered in fear. It was then that creatures resembling frogs and tadpoles appeared before the proclaimed princess. "Geckomon! Otamamon! Save me!" The girl commanded looking to the creatures who had been bending over backward to her every demand.

"No, tama!" "No, ribbit" The creatures responded in unison.

Hearing the defiance, the girl grew angered as she shot back to her "servants". "Fine! I won't sing for you anymore!" She threatened angrily.

"That's okay, ribbit." One responded right away. "You wouldn't sing for us even if we did help you, ribbit."

"We're going home to sleep, ribbit." A second stated before the group of creatures turned from the girl leaving her to fend for herself.

"Wait! I'll sing!" The girl pleaded in desperation reaching out to the creatures. "So please, help me!" With no such luck of support, the girl turned to her assailants in fear.

A gracious smile found the girl's panicked features as her friends appeared before her. Relief washed over her, "You guys! Help me!" She pleaded.

The two boys before her wore scowls upon their faces. As they began to fade away the bushy haired teen spoke first. "You are no friend of ours!"

Next, an orange dinosaur spat at the girl, "It serves you right!"

The older of the boys with dark hair scuffed, "Have you forgotten what you've done to us?"

Realizing that her friends were not going to help her, she could only reach out to her partner before her. "Palmon!" She practically begged the flower her stepped away from her.

"I hate you, Mimi!"

Hurt and loneliness filled the child as she turned to look at the evil beings closing in on her. There was no one willing to help her as she stood completely alone in the darkness. Her worst fears taking over her as the end approached. "NOOOO!"

Images of her friends flashed through her mind as the horrible actions she had done came to mind. "Taichi-san… Agumon… You guys… Wait... Palmon…" Tears filled the child's eyes as darkness surrounded her.

Suddenly a bright light broke through the darkness releasing the child from her nightmare. Slowly a now fifteen year old strawberry blonde rose from her sleeping position to look around to the other children sleeping beside her. From within the storage of the pocket of her dark washed khakis came a beaming light from her digivice. As soon as she regained her composure, the light slowly faded leaving the sleeping chosen children and their partners in the looming darkness. It had merely been a dream. The same dream she had experienced all those years ago…

Mimi rose to her feet as she allowed her muscles to stretch and awaken from their slumber. Quietly, she grabbed her olive hat she had been resting her head upon as she turned to her slumbering friends. Her caramel eyes softened as she gazed upon the plant creature sleeping peacefully beside an orange dinosaur. _'Palmon…'_ Her heart seemed to cry out as those feelings of fear and rejection overtook her once again.

Letting out a soft sigh, the teen allowed her feet to take her away from the group. Ever since they had heard of the prophecy and the trouble plaguing this world once more, Mimi had felt herself somewhat on edge. Inwardly she wanted nothing more than to help her dear friend Taichi who appeared to be struggling more than anyone. His sister had been kidnapped after all. There were sure to be many emotions he was battling, to make matters worse, he wasn't willing to open up and release those feelings. It wasn't as though Mimi could blame her close friend. Admitting weaknesses was hard for anyone to do.

The girl found herself at a stream before she stopped walking and knelt beside the water. Wind gently played with her long locks of hair as her eyes gazed to her own reflection within the rippling waves of water. Despite her concern for her friends and most importantly Hikari, Mimi couldn't get her mind off the nightmare that plagued her. It was that nightmare from so many years ago. Ever since the prophecy had been recited, Mimi had been preoccupied with the line she assumed related to her.

"Until the Purity fades." The strawberry blonde recited quietly as it felt as though the wind around her reacted in a violent manner to the words. This reaction from the elements caused Mimi's heart rate to increase as she found herself short of breath. What was this feeling within her? She desired more than anything to be able to decipher the ancient text and know how to keep such a thing from happening. In the past Mimi had turned from her friends and her destiny and her purity nearly had faded. Picodevimon and Vamdemon had attempted to lure her away from the light and purity and almost succeeded. Perhaps the duo would have succeeded if Sora had not been watching over her and saved her from the darkness.

How could Purity possibly fade now? Mimi had vowed to stand by her friends and to stand up against the darkness. But as with prophecies, the girl felt there was truly no way to stop them from happening. The awakening day was drawing closer and closer. Before the 4th of August Purity would fade.

"I can't let it!" Mimi's face showed her determination as she clenched her hands tightly around her digivice. She couldn't let her friends down and that meant whatever the darkness threw at her, she'd have to be prepared for and stand against. "I won't let the purity in my heart fade! I won't!" Little did Mimi know there was so much more to that line of text than she could ever imagine.

Rustling came from beyond the bushes causing the teenager to jump in panic. Her caramel eyes desperately looked for the source of the rustling and found herself relieved to see a boy slightly taller than her with golden blonde hair. Attempting to slow her heartbeat the girl held her chest and inhaled a deep breath. "Yamato-san, you scared me."

After tackling through the bushes, the blonde haired boy was relieved to find the girl he had been searching for. He had awakened to find she was missing from the group and this had brought concern to him. It wasn't that the two of them interacted directly very often, but she was still one of his friends and a part of the team, he was concerned if anyone were missing especially with the current situation at hand. "Mimi-chan? What are you doing out here?"

The girl brushed a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear as she thought about what would be the best way to answer that question. Quite honestly she wasn't even entirely sure why she had left the group. Perhaps it was because she wanted to find somewhere to splash water on her face or because she didn't want to bother anyone by being unable to sleep. Her eyes looked to the boy noting the obvious concern on his features. He must have thought something bad had happened to her. It made sense after all. She had left without even bothering to wake her partner. That must have been very startling. However, it wasn't as though the girl had expected anyone to wake up and notice her absence. "I'm sorry Yamato-san, I didn't mean to worry you. I guess I just needed some air." She replied calmly with a soft smile on her face. It wasn't as though she really wanted to worry him.

Running a hand through his hair, the older boy let out a sigh. Of all people he understood feeling as though he needed to be away from the group. Although when this happened in the past is hadn't proven to be such a good decision. Then again, he remembered that the girl before him had done the exact same thing. The only difference was that she hadn't been alone; Jyou had offered to accompany her. "I understand needing to get away, but you need to be careful. We don't know what's going on. This could have been really dangerous."

Instinctively, the strawberry blonde puffed her cheeks out and puckered her lips in frustration. It wasn't as though she were a completely helpless damsel and she didn't want others to think she was week. After a moment of huffing in anger, the girl thought about the kindness the boy was offering her. He wasn't scolding her, but instead demonstrating his concern for her. The girl's facial features lightened as she let out a soft sigh and found a rock to sit on. One foot remained planted on the ground while she brought the other to her chest and wrapped her arms around it. "I know, I just needed to think I guess."

Yamato noticed the distress the girl's body seemed to be displaying. It wasn't as though this girl had ever shown personal conflict to him. In fact the only problems Mimi seemed to have in the past were with killing creatures and even then it wasn't like her to quietly express her troubles. Out of anyone in the group, Mimi had probably been the loudest at voicing her opinions. Seeing this side to the girl intrigued the boy as he leaned against a tree and looked to her. It wasn't as though he was close to her, but Yamato knew that the battles with darkness were going to be tough. Having fought them in the past he knew how easy it was to let those dark thoughts in. They would all have to be on their guard and willing to assist those that struggle around them. "What has you upset Mimi-chan? Is it the battles we're probably going to have to fight?"

Mimi opened her eyes slowly, but didn't look to the other chosen. Her eyes remained fixated on the ground as she thought about what was truly bothering her. She shook her head softly as she felt her shoulders tensing lightly. "I know we need to fight. Back there… When that darkness tried to take us, I knew that I needed to stay strong. The darkness mocked me by bringing up that we wouldn't be able to save everyone. It told me that lives were going to be lost…" The teen paused for a moment as she took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling. "I know that by not fighting lives would be lost either way. I learned that during the battle Jyou and I had with MetalEtemon all those years ago."

Listening to her talk, Yamato was surprised at how well-grounded it appeared Mimi was. Of course it was to be expected with the time that had taken place between their adventures. The girl had only been 10 during their original expedition and now she was 15. Something then bothered him, if it wasn't the loss of lives that was bothering the girl, what was it? "Ok. I'm glad you are willing to fight with us. But… if you don't mind me asking, what is bothering you then?"

It should have been obvious that the boy would want to know what was bothering the girl. That's what friends did after all. Being the bearer of Friendship it was only customary for Yamato to be concerned for his friends. Deep down Mimi wanted to voice her concerns and have them reassured by those around her. However, her concerns seemed so trivial compared to everything else taking place. Those feelings of rejection were nothing compared to darkness consuming her best friend's little sister or the war being waged between worlds. How could she complain about not wanting to be part of a prophecy and battling nightmares from the past?

Silence filled the air between the chosen children. Mimi truly wanted to talk about what was bothering her, but the words just wouldn't seem to form. Yamato looked to the girl noticing that she seemed to be struggling with something internally. He knew what it felt like to harbor feelings that felt like they couldn't be shared. There was so much he had learned in their previous adventures about being able to open up and not let those dark feelings overtake him.

As the teen went to open his mouth and urge the girl to talk things out with him, an explosion sounded over the distance. Instantly both teens stood straight up and turned their attention back towards their campsite. Flames filled the darkened air causing panic to overtake the chosen children. "That explosion came from our camp!" Mimi shouted in horror as her caramel eyes watched the flames dance high above the tree tops and rush relentlessly in their direction.

* * *

 _A/N: Dun dun dun! I know, I know I had promised adult-ish content and still none. I'm terrible with my estimations. It will come in the upcoming "Until the Purity Fades" chapters, but it just didn't work into this chapter. I am actually thinking this will be a 3-part section. For now I hope you enjoyed the first part~_


	11. Until the Purity Fades pt 2

**Chapter 11: "Until the Purity Fades pt. 2"**

Hordes of BlueMeramon ambushed the chosen children shooting flames in all surrounding directions. Thick smoke filled the air as the chosen children awoke in a rush of panic. Embers from the attack reached the luscious vegetation around the forest and set the area a blaze without forgiveness. Rushing to gather their items the children noticed two members or their team had been absent.

"Yamato! Mimi-chan!" Taichi shouted in panic wondering where they could possibly be. As the leader he felt responsible for knowing where they were and if they were safe. After all, Yamato was his best friend and Mimi the girl he cared deeply for.

"Taichi! We need to get out of here!" Sora shouted in a panic as she held a tiny Nyaromon within her arms.

Takeru had begun directing his friends in a direction away from the flames. "I think there was a lake over this way!"

Without much thought the children sprinted away from the flames catching the attention of the attacking digimon as they did so. Before too long 20 digimon were close behind the children setting any vegetation they touched ablaze in dark blue fire.

"They are going to burn down the whole forest!" Piyomon shouted in panic as she flapped her wings fiercely wanting to fight the creatures that were causing such havoc.

Agumon stopped running as he turned his focus to the digimon. "We have to make sure they don't get to the children!"

As the children sprinted towards the opening and lake the youngest member had suggested, tiny rays of light began to cut through the darkness of the world and lurch for the creatures taking a stand to protect their friends. Power swirled around the creatures, gathering within them to produce an evolution.

"Agumon warp-shinka!" The dinosaur shouted as light engulfed him. Spinning around he shot light into his other evolved forms before a silhouette of a humanoid dino digimon. The digimon's teal blue eyes lit up. He now had raid hair and silver armor on its head. His body featured gold and silver armor tinted with red designs all over his orange skin. "Wargreymon!" The creature shouted completing his change.

"Piyomon shinka!" The pink bird shouted as fire surrounded the creature. She grew into what resembled a giant phoenix. Her body was made up of flaming feathers. "Birdramon!" Upon completing her evolution the creature turned and new she needed more power. "Birdramon chou-shinka!" The bird was forged in flames as a towering humanoid bird replaced the phoenix. "Garudamon!"

"Tentomon shinka!" The red beetle shouted as his body grew and changed navy blue in color. Large fly-like wings grew from his back as large teeth gnashed together. "Kabuterimon!" Upon completing the transformation he turned to draw more energy. "Kabuterimon chou-shinka!" The wings from his back shrunk to his body as a large beetle shell emerged from his back. A large mandible grew from his head. "AtlurKabuterimon!"

"Patamon shinka!" The winged guinea pig shouted as energy surrounded his body as he group human legs and pure white wings spread from his back. The guinea pig transformed into a giant angel clothed in blue linen as a gold staff twirled within his grasp. "Angemon!" Upon completing the transformation, the angel drew more power. "Angemon chou-shinka!" Light surrounded the angel as his wings grew larger and a sword grew from his arm. "HolyAngemon!"

"Gomamon shinka!" The white and purple seal shouted. He grew exponentially in size as a giant horn came from his head. The shaggy white walrus roared. "Ikkakumon!" Upon completing the transformation water surged around him. "Ikkakumon chou-shinka!" A giant shell grew from the walrus's back as his fur turned brown and a giant hammer formed in his hand. "Zudomon!"

After reaching the lake, the children turned to notice their partners had evolved and rushed to meet their assailants. Before the children stood two child level digimon of the missing team members. The perfect level digimon knew that they could battle without worry as Gabumon and Palmon would look after their friends. After this was over they would then be able to search for the missing chosen.

Meeting the group of BlueMeramon that were spreading their flames the perfect level digimon surrounded the intruders. "What is the meaning of this?" WarGreymon demanded giving the creatures a chance to defend their actions.

"Look!" Came the voice of the bearer of Love as her index finger pointed to the silent BlueMeramon.

The perfect level digimon turned to the child to see where her attention was. They looked back to the creatures to take a closer look. While the flames from the creatures had lit the forest a blaze, the flames also made the tendrils of darkness engulfing the creatures more noticeable.

"They are consumed by darkness." HolyAngemon stated observing the tendrils wring their ways around the creatures.

"We have no choice but to fight them!" Taichi commanded unsure if his friends would feel the same as him. Luckily a firm hand was placed on his shoulder in reassurance. The boy looked to the girl next to him as he smiled lightly.

Sora knew there was so much her friend was going through. There hadn't been enough time for him to sort through everything and she herself knew she was struggling at moments. Because of this, she trusted his decisions because he had done well so far. "We've got your back Taichi. Garudamon, we have to stop those BlueMeramon! We can't let them burn everything; they don't seem to be in control."

"Do you think we can convince them to turn from darkness?" Palmon questioned thinking of how her chosen would look for the good before rushing into war.

Silence overtook the group as they thought about their missing members. Without the others it did seem strange to be rushing in to a new war, an unknown war. That being the case, the children knew that the darkness would attack any light that was still shining deep within them. They had all vowed to stand up and knew that was what needed to take place.

"We have to fight whatever the darkness throws at us." Takeru stated frowning slightly to the plant in front of him. It wasn't as though he was a fan of fighting, but he did know it was necessary to bring about peace. Their past adventures had taught him that much.

Looking to the BlueMeramon, the creatures took the moment of hesitation to begin unleashing attacks towards the children. HolyAngemon was the first to react flying to place him between the flames and the children. "Heaven's Gate!" He shouted creating a large gate that drew in the energy from the attack and transferred it to a different dimension.

Wargreymon circled around the creatures as he pulled his arms back and gathered energy within his palms. A huge ball of flames emerged as he hurled it towards the creatures. "Gaia force!" He shouted in attack. With the attack came more flames as the forest lit up brighter.

"Fire won't work! We're going to burn this place down!" Jyou shouted looking towards the battle.

"We don't have any digimon with water attacks though…" Koushiro stated in concern as he looked to the trees that were burning quickly. He turned to Gabumon who as MetalGarurumon might be able to use his Cocytus breath to cool things off, but without Yamato, that was impossible.

Taichi sighed as he clenched his fists. "There isn't anything we can do to save the forest. Hopefully all the other creatures can escape, but we need to stop those BlueMeramon." He ordered looking to his friends who nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

"Hammer Spark!" The large warrior walrus shouted as he slammed his chrome digizoid hammar against the ground causing tremors and lightning to dart towards the enemy. The BlueMeramon froze as the electricity coursed through their bodies.

AtlurKabuterimon circled around the enemy as he charged his attack for launch. "Horn Buster!" Electricity sparked from the beetle as it joined with Zudomon's attack stunning the enemy further.

Frowning at the battle, the red haired female looked to her friends wondering what their thoughts were. "This almost seems too easy… Do you think this is some sort of diversion?" The girl questioned as she looked down at the weak Nyaromon within her arms.

"Diversion from what?" Jyou questioned shifting his glasses nervously. He wasn't entirely sure what she was thinking, but Sora was quite perceptive so maybe she had caught on to something he had missed.

Takeru looked to the older kids as he thought about his missing brother. Were Mimi and him in some sort of trouble and the BlueMeramon were distracting them from coming to help? "Do you think something is wrong with Nii-san and Mimi-chan?" The boy questioned hoping that he was just making things up and nothing was wrong.

"It does seem to be too coincidental. Mimi-chan and Yamato-san are missing. Then all of a sudden we are attacked? I don't think this happened by accident." Koushiro deducted as he frowned thinking about what their other friends might be going through.

Horror struck Palmon's face as she turned to the children. "The prophecy!"

Clenching his fists tightly Taichi thought about the words Gennai had spoken to them. With tomorrow being the supposed awakening day, he knew that today would be when the next line would have to come to pass. "Light draws the darkness until Purity fades." He stated slowly. He didn't like this line because the bearer of purity was the girl he had grown to care about deeply.

While the children thought about the timing of the attack, the digimon continued to fight the BlueMeramon. It appeared as though the opposing digimon were barely putting up a fight as they occasionally would shoot flames towards the group of digimon. The perfect levels were able to easily dodge attacks and counter with their own attacks.

"Let's finish this!" WarGreymon cried knowing that there were more important things for them to fretting about than these adult digimon. "Gaia Force!"

"Hammer Spark!"

"Horn Buster!"

Garudumon looked to the enemy as she gathered flames within her fists. She released the flames as a flaming phoenix appeared and swooshed towards the BlueMeramon. "Wing Blade!"

HolyAngemon flew around the enemy as he figured it would be best to call on his attack to officially end the battle. "Heaven's Gate!" He shouted drawing his golden gate into the sky and banishing the digimon into the other dimension.

As the action died down, the children should have celebrated their victory, but for some reason it didn't feel as though they had won anything. Gabumon looked to the children as the other digimon joined the group by the lake. The horned wolf smiled lightly hoping to brighten the spirits. "Mimi is with Yamato. I know he'll keep her safe."

Palmon nodded slowly trying to not be scared for her partner. It just didn't make sense that those two were missing when all the action began. Moments of silence and deliberation passed as the children did not know what their plan of action should be. None had any idea where Yamato or Mimi could be or what they should do to go about finding them.

"TAICHI-KUN! EVERYONE!" A strawberry haired teen shouted running as fast as she could with Yamato keeping stride with her.

The group of children turned with relief upon their faces. Of the group, the two digimon were the most relieved.

"Mimi!" Palmon shouted in relief running to meet Mimi wrapping her wines around the human girl.

"Yamato!" Gabumon shouted meeting his partner. "Where have you been?"

Skipping answering the question, Yamato had concerns of his own. His cobalt eyes looked to the flames eating away at the forest. "He heard an explosion, what happened?"

"We were sleeping and all of a sudden a group of BlueMeramon attacked us." Koushiro explained as his dark eyes looked to the remaining flames.

Nodding in understanding, Yamato didn't really need to ask any questions. His concern turned towards the remaining flames. "Gabumon, you need to stop the flames from spreading any further."

The wolf's eyes brightened knowing his friend truly cared about their world and helping it however he could. "Gabumon warp-shinka!" The wolf shouted circling around as light overtook his body. The creature grew into a metal plated wolf as missiles shot from his body and his transformation was complete. "MetalGarurumon!"

"Don't worry, I'll stop these flames." The ultimate creature assured his friends as he sprinted off towards the flaming forest. "Cocytus Breath!" He called out as his energy surged through the forest instantly freezing the flames that had been dancing fiercely around the vegetation.

"He was able to put out the flames!" Jyou cheered as suddenly the area became dark once more. The heat that the flames had radiated vanished as the children were left in the new cold-darkness of the digimon world.

Shivering slightly Mimi wrapped her arms around herself. Even though she was prepared for cold temperatures because she had a long sleeve shirt on, it didn't appear as though the fabric was enough. "It's cold again though…" She complained as she felt strong arms wrap around her body. The strawberry blonde looked over to shoulder to the messy haired teen that was embracing her from behind. Smiling softly Mimi leaned into the boy's embrace feeling her concerns from earlier being slightly lifted.

Having the group reunited brought a sense of relief to Takeru, but inside he still felt alert. He knew they could rejoice in having defeated an opponent, but when all the hype of battle settled down it felt like reality had once again set in. "Even though we defeated those BlueMeramon, the darkness is still thick."

Sora nodded her head as she looked to the younger teen. "Defeating those digimon didn't accomplish anything. Like I said, I don't think they were a real target."

"How are we supposed to fight darkness though?" Jyou questioned looking around. It felt as though that was what would be there true enemy, but without a physical form, what were they to do?

"Darkness shall engulf all and bring comfort along with release." A strangely familiar voice interrupted the thoughts of the children.

Instantly the bushy haired leader's eyes darted around. Along with him, Takeru wondered where that voice he had longed to hear came from. Murmurs filled the area surrounding the children as their senses were put on high alert.

Suddenly something strange appeared to be taking place. Around the group the forest began to fade as the digimon rushed to their partners' sides instinctively. Fog appeared to overtake the area and darkness swirled around. Drips of water could be heard in the background as everything seemed to shift around the children. Panic rose in the group as they huddled together unsure of what awaited them.

* * *

 _A/N: I felt like another little cliff hanger would do here. It seemed to be the right place to stop this segment. What do you think awaits the chosen children? What do you think the line until the purity fades really means? All will be revealed in the next chapter!_

 _Side note, I chose to use the phrases shinka, chou-shinka, and warp-shinka because I felt it gave authenticity to the story. I'm never sure if I want to use evolve or digivolve so if I stick to the original version shinka, I know I'm staying true to the story. If you find this strange, I'm sorry, but I am not a fan of the dub personally and this keeps it closer to the original than any translations could make. Personal preference._


	12. Until the Purity Fades pt 3

_A/N: Here it is! The last chapter of the until purity fades arc. I've had a lot of stuff going on recently, sorry for not having an update in a while! Hopefully I'll have some more time this weekend that you can even expect Chapter 13 pretty soon. This chapter is kinda dark, but not as dark as I originally intended. I cut a lot of things out just for sake of not going too far into M land. Hope you enjoy~_

* * *

 **Chapter 12: "Until the Purity Fades pt. 3"**

Suddenly something strange appeared to be taking place. Around the group the forest began to fade as the digimon rushed to their partners' sides instinctively. Fog appeared to overtake the area and darkness swirled around. Drips of water could be heard in the background as everything seemed to shift around the children. Panic rose in the group as they huddled together unsure of what awaited them.

Before too long the fog surrounding the chosen children dissipated leaving them puzzled and on edge. Silence filled the air creating an eerie effect in a colorless world. This world felt wrong to the children as every one of their bodies stiffened automatically in response. None of the children knew where they were, but all were certain that they were no longer in the digimon world. A dark ocean was beside them and besides that the world seemed empty.

"What's going on?" Jyou questioned as he turned to notice that all of the digimon had degenerated back to their child forms, except for Nyaromon who still weakly lay in the arms of the bearer of love.

Mimi felt her skin crawl and the nerves within her stomach tighten as she closed the distance between Taichi and herself. Without thinking the girl linked her arm with his and gently squeezed. The bushy haired teen averted her attention to the girl who clung to him. It felt as though fear exuded from her body. He placed a gentle hand on her shaking one that clenched his arm.

As the group began to murmur as they had before the fog had appeared, Takeru was the only one who had seemed to notice that they weren't alone. Instantly his eyes locked on the duo that was a few yards away from him. Every part of him wanted to dash to the girl he saw standing beside an unknown and oddly eerie teenage boy. Ever since he was young it felt as though the blonde haired bearer of hope had been able to somehow sense the powers of darkness. It felt as though this had happened after Angemon's death following the battle with Devimon. In this instance, the teen could tell that whoever was standing beside his friend radiated true darkness. "Hikari-chan?" The words finally left his mouth, but for some reason it felt foreign to him. Takeru wasn't sure if it was because the girl looked for different or if it was because he wasn't entirely sure he was addressing his best friend.

Instantly the group turned to take notice of the duo the youngest member had addressed. There were two teenagers standing before them and one did resemble the child of light, but something was different. The young girl standing in front of them did not have the warm hazel eyes of Hikari. Instead the girl's eyes were cold and gray. Hikari had always seemed to glow with a soft light around her, but this girl appeared distant and dark. No goodness seemed to surround her and even more so for the teen next to her. The boy wore a sadistic smirk upon his face, almost to the brink of insanity.

"Is that really Hikari-chan?" Sora questioned feeling her arms instinctively hug the small baby within her arms. Nyaromon's eyes slowly and sadly looked to the teenager in front of them She whimpered quietly as tears filled her eyes.

"Welcome chosen children." The teenager beside the girl in question welcomed. An eerie laugh followed his greeting as his eyes remained fixated on the group before him. In particular it felt as though his eyes were drawn to one child in particular.

Mimi instantly noticed that his eyes appeared to be on her as she felt the nerves in her stomach tighten once more. _"Until the purity fades…"_ Again the words circulated through her mind as her caramel eyes remained glued on him.

"Who are you!" Taichi demanded with a hint of venom to his words. He could instantly tell that his sister was the one standing beside the boy, but at the same time she wasn't there at all. Sure, physically it was her body, but something had changed. Something wasn't right. It infuriated him as he felt himself take a step forward forgetting all about Mimi standing beside him who had her mind elsewhere. All Taichi could think about was his sister and whatever demon had manipulated her.

"My my, aren't we demanding? Funny given the fact that you have absolutely no power in this world, then again, very soon you will no longer have power in any world." The boy taunted as he closed the distance between himself and the chosen beside him. Dagomon allowed his arm to wrap around Hikari who did not protest in any way.

This action nearly sent Taichi off the edge, but he felt Agumon next to him keep him in check. He knew that they needed some sort of plan; however, the teenager wasn't even sure what was taking place. Before he knew it, Yamato was standing right beside him.

"This world is filled with unquestionable darkness. I'd say it's safe to say we aren't in the digimon world anymore and that we have no idea what we are up against." Yamato pointed out not taking his eyes off the younger girl.

Takeru felt guilty for not having been there for his best friend. The boy was almost certain for the rest of his life he was going to have nightmares about how he saw the girl in front of him. Anger welled within him as he took out his digivice wanting nothing more than to rip the boy's head off who had his arm wrapped around Hikari in a controlling manner. "Patamon." Takeru whispered looking to the guinea pig with wings beside him. Instantly the creature reacted with a nod of his head.

"Patamon shinka…."

Silence.

Everyone in the group turned to the little winged guinea pig as they noticed he had attempted to evolve to no avail. Fear seemed to consume the group as others attempted the evolution process with no success. Hysteria silently rose within the group.

"How the fuck do we fight darkness now?" Yamato was the first to speak up as he felt insecure knowing their partners couldn't evolve to protect them. Whatever this world was, or whatever darkness had control here was keeping their digimon from being able to evolve. This was extremely unsettling.

"Darkness shall engulf all and bring comfort along with release." Hikari stated in a strange voice. It was her voice, but something about it seemed inhumane, almost as if she were possessed.

Shivers ran down Taichi's spine as he looked at his sister. Clenching his fists he vowed that somehow, someway he would rescue her from whatever the hell had control over her. "Hikari! Wake up, what has come over you?"

An evil laugh filled the air as Dagomon warped his appearance to let his real form be known. The creature towered over the group of humans and digimon as his eyes beamed with entertainment. "Your sister only responds to me and the darkness. She has come to accept what her soul truly desired."

"That's bullshit!" Takeru shouted with a deep glare to his eyes. He felt his fists shake in anger. The saying if looks could kill applied to this situation as Koushiro had to place a hand on the boy's shoulder as if to ground him in some way. "Hikari-chan would never give in to the darkness!"

"The darkness shall bring comfort." Both Dagomon and Hikari stated at the same time. His eyes glowed red as her dull eyes looked to everyone before her. "With Lord Dagomon I shall never suffer."

Grinding his teeth together Taichi wasn't sure he could truly believe what he was seeing. Somehow this sick twisted digimon had corrupted his little sister in to believing that she needed the darkness to ease whatever suffering she was facing. How? How could this happen to Hikari? The child who had supposedly been the bearer of light? "We have to stop this!" Taichi ordered as it seemed like the digimon were in agreement.

None of the child digimon knew how they were going to stand up to an ultimate, but if it was to save their friend, they did not have any choice. All of them lunged forward hoping to find some way in order to strike the beast. Suddenly a shift took place as a cold breeze met the creatures and the children. The breeze numbed their skin and all around brought discomfort. It felt as though the very air grew thin almost as if in attempt to suffocate them.

"PALMON!"

That's when it struck. A piercing scream filled the air causing the children and digimon alike to turn in panic and fear, unsure and unprepared for what they were about to witness. Behind the chosen children stood a dark unknown creature with a shadowy figure and dark eyes. Underneath the creature lay the decapitated and mangled body of their friend and ally.

Mimi had been aware something felt off as she had averted her attention from Dagomon in time to catch the creature before he struck. With her caramel eyes the strawberry blond witnessed the sharpness of the creature's claws mutilate her best friend and leave her lying lifeless before her. It was in that one moment, that instant, Mimi felt herself practically shatter. Darkness hungrily darted towards the teen before anyone was allowed to reach her. Wide eyed, the girl was unable to fend off the tendrils that attacked her body and most importantly her mind. Within seconds the girl crumbled to the ground unconscious and unresponsive.

"MIMI-CHAN!" The group called out rushing to their friend's side, all except the one person who should have been concerned the most. Taichi stood with a blank expression upon his face as he tried to understand what all had just happened.

Slowly the data of Palmon's body began to fracture off until their friend was no longer laying brutally slaughtered before them.

Jyou knelt beside the strawberry blonde and instantly grabbed her petite wrist in desperate search for a pulse. Relief washed over the boy as he let out a soft sigh and his dark eyes looked to the group. Not that anything about this situation was relieving, but at the very least Mimi was still alive. Her heart faintly beat within her chest allowing the blood to circulate within her arteries. "She has a pulse." He announced somewhat relieved, but still grossly disturbed.

"How foolish you are to think you stand any bit of a chance. Now the real fun can begin!" Dagomon declared as his laugh filled the area of the ocean.

Before anyone could move, fog once again surrounded the children before in the blink of an eye, they had returned to the forest they had once stood. However, as the children gained a sense of their surroundings three things were very different. One: Nyaromon has degenerated to YukimiBotamon. Two: Palmon was no longer with them. Three: Mimi lay unconscious on the ground and her entire body and clothing remained in grayscale as if darkness had literally eaten the color from her.

* * *

The meeting with the chosen had gone perfectly. Dagomon had been able to strike the chosen of purity and allow the darkness to feed upon her soul. All the while his precious angel had remained unaffected by the presence of those she had once held dear within her. In fact, she had done everything he had expected of her without alter. Smirking, the now teenage boy lightly placed his hand upon the girl's cheek before him. He felt his joy building inside him as he looked to the dark eyes of Hikari.

"You did well today my angel." He said with pleasure.

"I did well." She replied instantly as her arms moved to wrap themselves around the boy in front of her.

This caused Dagomon's eyebrow to rise as he felt pleasure in her touch. He had always envisioned what being close to such a catalyst would do to him. Within this child was potential for both great light and great darkness. He was drawn to the beauty this child's soul radiated knowing he was tapping into the potential of great darkness. Dagomon allowed himself to guide the girl over to the bed he had prepared for his queen. As he directed her to join him atop the mattress, she in no way resisted his guidance and did just as directed.

Hikari slowly closed the distance between herself and her master as he felt himself barely in control. Just as the dark tendrils had been feeding on the child, he wanted to be within her, he wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them. That was when he knew true purity needed to be lost. In order to fulfill the prophecy, he needed to make it so his angel would forever be intertwined with him.

Understanding he would be allowed to act upon his deepest desires, Dagomon forced himself upon the brunette. She willingly allowed him control over her body. The tendrils of darkness quivered at the chosen's acceptance of the dark lord. It was in this moment Hikari had truly lost all of herself and the purity had faded.

* * *

 _A/N: I had SO many different thoughts for this little arc. Ultimately I kinda meshed them together and twisted them to sorta work. I don't know how pleased I am, but hopefully you guys have some positive feedback and like the direction things are going. Originally this chapter was supposed to be Mimi's last, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that to my girl. Anyways, I would love, love, love! Some feedback from you guys! Til next time~_


	13. Race against the Clock

**Chapter 13: Race against the Clock**

Back in the digimon world the chosen children all knelt beside their friend as she remained unconscious before them. Jyou had conducted a brief check up on the girl and concluded that she appeared to be in stable condition, but under some sort of spell. This led to many questions and conversation on what they could do to help their friend and what it meant in regard to the prophecy. Many of them had concluded that with Palmon's death came the fading of purity meaning that this line of text had been fulfilled. Little did they know there was much more connected to that line than just the flower creature's death.

Silence overtook the group of children as all of their attention was on their leader now. Taichi had yet to react at all to the events that had transpired. In fact, he had yet to say a single word. His eyes were glued on the strawberry blonde girl who brought sadness to the group. Sora was the first to stand as she signaled for everyone to follow her. Without any words, the children and the digimon with the exception of Taichi and Agumon followed Sora. The dinosaur looked in the direction of the ginger haired girl as he smiled sadly and nodded in confirmation.

The bushy haired teen could sense that his friends had moved away from him and Mimi as a bit of relief washed over him. It wasn't that he did not like his friends' presence; it was that it was extremely hard for him to lose himself when they were around. He didn't want them to see him weak, even if he knew they had in the past. Right now, in this particular moment, Taichi felt as though he was going to crack under everything that had taken place. Slowly he grabbed Mimi's hand before holding it to his chest and crumpling over her in quiet tears.

"Is Taichi-san going to be alright?" Takeru questioned trying not to look over at the brave leader of the group who was in the middle of breaking down.

Yamato closed the distance between him and his brother as he gently placed his hand on his shoulder. The older boy knew that everything had to be hard on his brother as well, especially given the condition they had all just witnessed Hikari in. "He'll be fine Takeru. We'll all be fine."

"Taichi just needs some space right now." Sora added softly with a saddened look upon her face. She could only imagine the inner turmoil he was dealing with having just seen his sister and seeing Mimi's condition.

"I think it might be important to help Mimi-kun and then we can figure out the Hikari-chan mess later." Jyou stated thinking of the two younger girls of their group.

The ginger haired girl nodded her head and turned to look over at Taichi and Mimi once more. "The problem is… how do we help her?"

"It reminds me of that time Lilimon fought Vamdemon. Do you remember how she was cursed by him and turned the same way?" Piyomon suggested remembering their past battle.

"I remember we came with Wizardmon who used some sort of magic to heal Lilimon." Takeru stated with wide eyes. "Do you think the same thing happened to Mimi-san?"

Koushiro who had been quiet up until that point removed his hand from his chin as he decided to speak up. "It's quite possible. Vamdemon consumed Lilimon with darkness when he attacked her and I bet the same thing happened to Mimi-san."

"So you're saying that the darkness consumed her?" Jyou questioned as he contemplated what all had happened.

"Think about it." Sora stated as she leaned against a tree.

Gomamon nodded to Sora as he looked up at his partner. "Do you remember when we broke off from the group Jyou?"

"That time against Pinochimon?" The oldest child questioned.

"Mimi's number one fear was losing Palmon." Patamon contributed to the conversation as everyone seemed to quiet for a moment.

"Could you imagine the heartbreak she felt?" Yamato stated, but quickly turned his attention to his younger brother whose face was unreadable. Of all the children he would be the one to understand exactly how the girl would have felt.

Takeru picked up Patamon and smiled sadly to his partner. "She felt absolutely devastated. It was in that moment that Mimi-san was consumed by that darkness. She probably didn't have any time to react. I could feel all that darkness when we were in that strange place. It was way more than I think I've ever felt in the digimon world."

Yamato nodded as he thought about the strange world in which they had been lured into. "The problem is… What do we do now?"

"Purity faded." Koushiro pointed out in a matter of fact manner. "The day of awakening will seal the world's fate."

"August 4th." Takeru stated as he felt himself stress at the fact that was the next day.

Yamato could feel the stress within the group rise as he knew they were all too aware of the impending arrival of the day of awakening. "The clock is ticking and we're running out of time."

* * *

"Taichi."

Silence.

"Taichi."

More silence.

"Taichi!"

It wasn't as though the bushy haired teen hadn't heard his friend addressing him. Taichi had been well aware that Agumon hadn't left his side when all the others had decided to give him some space. In all honesty, the boy just didn't want to sit up and face his partner. There were just too many jumbled up thoughts in his head, too many emotions he wasn't sure he could cope with all at the same time.

Taichi wasn't necessarily unfamiliar with feelings of failure or hopelessness. During their first adventure in the digimon world he had had plenty of those feelings. For some reason though, this time it felt completely different. This time it felt as though Taichi had been letting those down around him time and time again.

He knew something had been bothering his sister. It was something he had been keeping track of for weeks, but for one reason or another he always wrote it off and felt as though she could handle it for herself. That had been his first mistake. Then upon learning the prophecy, he felt part of him was cautious of the line stating that the purity would fade. For some reason though he hadn't kept a good enough eye on Mimi, he hadn't been there when she needed him. All of the added weight and pressure of his failures and mistakes seemed to suffocate him more and more. Taichi didn't even know where to begin in processing his emotions.

Slowly the boy opened his eyes to look at the girl beneath him. He felt her cold skin against his as he thought about how badly he had screwed up. Mimi had always been the purist individual that he knew. To witness her purity ripped from her as she watched her partner die in horror… tears filled his eyes as the boy felt a shiver crawl down his spine almost as if something were lurking around him.

Feelings of despair and hopelessness washed over Taichi as he thought of his sister standing beside the psychotic creature who had brainwashed her in some way. Hearing her twisted voice talking about the greatness of darkness, it was too much for him to handle. He had let his entire team down. Taichi was supposed to be the leader and somehow managed to let two of the most important people to him down. What kind of person was he? He wasn't a good boyfriend. He wasn't a good brother. Most of all he definitely wasn't a good leader.

Panic overtook Agumon has his emerald eyes looked to his broken partner. At some point a dark aura seemed to engulf the human beside him and nothing he said seemed to be getting through the Taichi. He attempted shouting his name once more, but still no response came from the teen. Just as Agumon had decided it might be best to go and bring the other chosen children to try and reach his partner, the dinosaur noticed they were no longer in the forest. Looking around in desperation, the creature came to realize some how they had been drawn into a dark cave and there didn't appear to be anyone else by them.

"Taichi! Taichi!"

* * *

As the group of chosen children discussed different possibilities for the way the world's fate could be determined, they did not feel as though they were making any progress. There was not enough detail to the text in order to know what they were really looking for. All they knew is if the world's fate was sealed on the following day, they could expect armies to fall from the sky afterward.

Chills ran up Sora's spine as they continued to talk about what type of armies may fall. "Whatever they are, I'm guessing they won't be on our side. Maybe it might be best if we try and find as many allies as we can? To prepare if we can't stop whatever is going to happen tomorrow."

"But what if we can figure it out and prevent it from happening? I bet it has something to do with Hikari-chan! Maybe if we can get her back from that messed up digimon we ca—"

"Takeru…" Yamato interrupted looking sadly to his little brother. "I think Hikari-chan is going to have to wait… I know… I don't like thinking like that, but we don't even know what world we were in. Besides… Without knowledge we might end up like Palmon and Mimi-chan…"

"That dark shadow took Palmon out with no effort." Gabumon stated grimly.

Takeru clenched his fists and bit his lip. He hated the thought of just leaving Hikari with that twisted freak. Who the hell knew what he could be doing to her! Just as he decided it might be best to bring Taichi into the conversation to back him up on saving the girl, the youngest child noticed that their leader had vanished. "Guys! Taichi-san and Mimi-san are gone!"

"Ah fuck." Yamato said before he could even process what has going through his mind.

"Yamato-kun… are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sora questioned with a hint of panic in her voice.

Silence fell over the group as all attention seemed to be on the spiky haired blonde who was scouting the area. As his eyes settled on something, they all directed their attention to the cave that had gone unnoticed until now.

"A cave of darkness." Jyou was the first to speak while everyone else let the words settle in. It was similar to the events of their first adventure to the digimon world when Yamato and Sora had been consumed by their personal darkness.

"Taichi!" Sora shouted as she turned to take off towards the cave, but a hand was holding her back. Instantly the girl turned to meet the gaze of the boy holding onto her. "Yamato-kun, we have to go after him!" Panic was in her voice as she remembered what had happened to her in her own dark cave.

"We can't just rush in there scared Sora-san." Takeru said as he walked up next to her and took her hand in his. He remembered when his brother and Jyou were with him when they went in after Sora. The dark cave was scary and he remembered being scared the darkness would attack him like his friends. Yamato had warned him the darkness looked for weaknesses and that was when it chose to strike.

Sora regained her composure as she felt Yamato loosen his grip on her arm and she allowed her hand to squeeze Takeru's back. A small smile found her lips as she nodded her head in understanding. "Taichi needs us, we need to be strong. The darkness is looking for any moment to strike."

All of the children were in agreement as they nodded their heads and took in a deep breath. The partner digimon looked to the children in concern knowing that at any minute the children were in danger of being attacked by the darkness. It did not appear their first stand was enough to scare the darkness away from trying to get to them. All they knew was the clock was ticking and the longer darkness attacked their friends, the more trouble they would be in. If they didn't find a way to rescue Taichi, Mimi, and Hikari they knew they wouldn't stand a chance to save the world.

* * *

 _A/N: So this chapter kinda went away from where I thought it would go. Even so, I like where it went. I needed a bridge to move into what's coming up. Hope you enjoyed it~_


	14. Preparing the Catalyst

**Chapter 14: "Preparing the Catalyst"**

Slowly a brunette haired teenager opened her warm caramel eyes to set sights on the environment around her. A look of confusion overtook the girl as she slowly stood up and felt the weight of her clothes against her skin and heard drips of water meeting a larger surface of water. Looking beneath her, the girl noticed she was standing in the middle of an ocean with nothing other than the dark colorless water surrounding her.

Blinking, Hikari took in a deep breath and tried to gather her thoughts. Nothing came to mind as she tried to think of not only where she was, but who she was. For some reason the girl felt blank inside. Suddenly she noticed images flashing through her mind. A group of children were laughing and playing games with one another. A pang of jealousy hit the girl as she noticed everyone not taking notice to her presence, none taking the time to acknowledge her.

Before too long the image changed once more to a bushy haired teenager yelling at the girl for having not listened to whatever he had asked of her. The girl was shrunk back in disappointment and remorse as she meekly attempted an apology. Seeing how the boy attacked the girl brought feelings of hostility to Hikari as she subconsciously clenched her fists in response.

More and more dark images played before her as the girl could once again feel emotions that had been stripped from her. Hikari felt tears well up within her eyes as she clenched the cold, wet fabric of her gray dress and shut her eyes tightly shut in hopes of cancelling out the images before her.

Suddenly she felt a cool but comforting presence around her. Opening up her eyes slowly Hikari noticed she was lying in the arms of a teenage boy. The ocean around her had disappeared and now she was in a dark bedroom resting upon a bed. Her dark gray eyes looked to the dark haired boy who had his arms wrapped around her. Sweat beaded down her forehead as she wrinkled her eyebrows. The images from the dream were not leaving her and a strange anger appeared to be boiling within her.

Without much effort Dagomon shifted his body and retrieved a necklace from the nightstand beside the bed. "Good morning angel." He started slowly knowing all too well of the images he had cast into the girl's mind. Her struggle was written upon her face and he knew everything was going along just as he anticipated.

"Master… I had a dream of those people again." Hikari stated as a particular image of a blonde haired boy appeared to stick out in her mind. For some reason, she felt betrayed by him the very most. "I don't like these people. When I think of them…" The brunette paused as she felt her mind become a bit fogged as she held her head gently. A pang of pain struck her as she felt as though something in her body weren't right.

Dagomon noticed the quick change in his angel's disposition as he quickly decided to interfere with her struggle. In trying to build her desire to eliminate those of the light, he knew the girl's own light whatever little light that was still within her would rebel as strongly as possible. Dagomon could not allow the girl the chance to regain her light and expel the darkness. "Take a deep breath my angel. Here." The boy gestured as he revealed the dark amulet to the girl before him.

Hikari's dark gray eyes fixated on the jewel before her as a strange sensation overtook her. She felt her skin crawl and even the tendrils of darkness that caressed her body reacted to the presence of the powerful stone. "What is that, Master?" She questioned as instinctively she reached out wishing to touch the amulet.

A smirk found his lips as the creature moved to shift himself behind Hikari but place his arms and the amulet in front of her. Slowly he lowered the amulet so it rested just above her chest. Clasping the chain in place, he felt the amulet react to the catalyst beneath it. The dark tendrils swarmed around the amulet greedily wanting to devour the power within. The amulet reacted to the darkness as a dark mist surrounded both Dagomon and Hikari.

"My angel, those of the light have caused so much hurt and pain. Those feelings I rid you from, that loneliness and anger within, they are the ones that caused such feelings." The digimon declared as the girl felt him wrap his arms around her securely. "In order for us to succeed we must put an end to those creatures of the light."

"Those people… They are cruel?" She questioned more as a statement in response to her lord's words, but still slightly perplexed.

Dagomon rested his chin atop the girl's head as he knew the importance of her turning against the chosen children. In order for her to release the seals on the dark world, she would need to completely reject the light and seek to spread the darkness. Her body would be the point of amplification. "Those people rejected us. Turned from us and expelled us from their world."

Hikari shivered in anger as her eyes narrowed as images of the children rejecting her flashed through her mind. Again the one teen really stuck out in her mind. "How could they? How could _he_?" Takeru's face flashed in Hikari's mind as she saw him shouting at her, rejecting her, and tossing her to the side. The amulet atop her chest began to burn as Hikari's dark eyes flashed crimson in reaction.

 _"_ _It's working."_ Dagomon thought to himself as he tightened his embrace and drew the girl closer to him. Feeling her against his body made him quiver as he had yearned so long to be able to do this with the child who had been "blessed" with the power of light. "My ange—" Just as he was about to speak a knock was heard upon the door. A growl escaped the creature's lips as he glared to the door and used his magic to open the door. "What!" Dagomon demanded with acid in his words.

"M'lor—" Before the Kurame no Mono could complete its thought, the creature's eyes fixated on the child of light sitting within his lord's arms radiating dark energy. The awakening day was only one day away and the creatures had grown anxious in wonder if the plan would succeed. Seeing the dark aura within the room, it could be safe to say things were working just as anticipated.

"Don't stare." Hikari found herself saying glaring her eyes to the creature.

This caused both the creature and Dagomon to jump slightly and direct their attention to the attitude filled teenager. The harshness of her tone had caught them off guard.

Shrinking back into Dagomon's arms the girl did not cease her anger filled gaze. "The Master is with _me_. Go away."

A chuckle escaped the dark digimon as he hugged the girl and rested his chin just beside her ear. Witnessing the change undertaking the chosen of light was amusing to him; however, he couldn't allow her to end up controlling him. Despite the fact he yearned for her power and knew Hikari may end up possessing dark power that would rival his own, Dagomon would not give up his control to her. "Simmer down my precious. The Kurame no Mono serve us. What is it that you want?'' His tone had changed slightly hoping to calm his angel and not provoke her to lash at the servants more.

"Dinner is in the process of being prepared. It shall be ready shortly." The creature reported trying its best to keep his eye contact with his master and not the girl within his arms.

Before Dagomon was able to respond, Hikari rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Buuuuuuuut, it isn't done yet? Sooooo why are _you_ bothering _us_?" Her gaze glared into the creature before her gaze shifted to the creature holding her. "They should _serve_ us here. Then leave us _alone_."

The emphasis within her voice brought shivers to Dagomon as he looked down to the girl. The amulet had already transformed the girl beyond what he had been expected. Knowing the work he had accomplished was coming to surface he couldn't help but feel prideful and ecstatic. "My angel, the night is young. Allow me a matter of business and then I shall deliver the meal personally to our suite."

A pout found the brunette's lips as her dark gray eyes looked up to the dark haired teen who had released her from his embrace. "Bu—"

Before Hikari could respond Dagomon caught the girl's gaze within his own. His eyes glowed red as he looked into her eyes. A hazy feeling overtook the girl causing her eyes to feel heavy. Without any warning the teenage human collapsed on the bed. A laugh escaped the demon's lips as he looked to the Kurame no Mono who was in the room with him. "The Yami no Omamori has had quite an influence already…"

"Are you sure about that?" The creature questioned his master before thinking the retribution of opposing his master's thoughts. Luckily for this Kurame no Mono, Dagomon seemed intrigued by his servant's observation.

"Elaborate."

"I wonder if perhaps the chosen one had all this within her all along. She may have had this darkness within her and only by having the light silenced been freely able to tap in to that darkness." The creature suggested.

Thinking about the creature's words Dagomon chuckled softly. "Perhaps, perhaps indeed. Come let us address the masses."

* * *

"Hikari-chan!" "Hikari!" "Hikari-chan!" "Hikari-san!" "Hikari-chan!" "Hikari-kun!" "Hikari-chan!"

Names echoed around as Hikari stood surrounded by complete darkness. The young girl blinked her warm hazel eyes in confusion. Where were those voices coming from? Whose voices were they? Who was Hikari? Holding her head in confusion, the girl felt cold and lonely. A small ball of light tried to light up the area surrounding the girl. As soon as the light had appeared the darkness consumed it just as fast. Blinking in startle, she wondered where she was and what was happening.

"Hello?" The word echoed through the air with no response.

"Hikari-chan!" "Hikari!" "Hikari-chan!" "Hikari-san!" "Hikari-chan!" "Hikari-kun!" "Hikari-chan!"

"Who is Hikari?" She questioned as the voices faded away.

"Don't you know?" A small girl around the age of eight stood before her. This girl had brown hair, warm caramel eyes. She wore a white dress that almost appeared to glow in the darkness. "Have you allowed all of your memories to leave you?"

A puzzled look found the teen's eyes as she knelt to meet the girl's gaze on a more level approach. "Who are you? What's going on?"

"Hikari…" The young girl sad with a saddened look upon her face.

Anger took over the teen as she stood up and glared to the little girl. The tone had been taken as condescending and the older girl did not like it. Looking down, she noticed a warm heat on her chest and a jewel on a necklace began to glow. The teen's eyes grew dark as she noticed the sadness and pity on the child's face. "Go away!" Hikari snapped to herself anger filling her tone.

Frowning sadly the young girl began to fade into the darkness. Her eyes never left the teen as darkness silenced what little light was still battling.

Slowly Hikari opened her eyes to notice once again she was in a strange bedroom. The color absent, but the bedding beneath her was plush and comfortable. After a few moments, she brought herself to sit up in the bed and turned to notice she was not alone in the room. "Master."

"You have awakened. Dinner has just arrived." He respond knowing full well when the girl would awaken having been the one to put her to sleep. His eyes watched the child knowing she was still consumed by the darkness. The anger within her was more present than before as he wondered what magic the amulet may have worked in his absence.

Hikari did not know all of what her master's plans were, but as she sat there looking to the boy before her, the amulet seemed to heat up again in reaction to his dark presence. Looking to the food that had been offered to her, she simply shook her head in objection to the offer. Guiding the boy to join her on the bed, Dagomon raised his eyebrow before sitting beside the girl.

"I wish to please my master." She stated feeling the jewel heat up in response. The powers of darkness hungrily begged to consume more of the child by gaining more dark power.

Slightly confused by the chosen's statement, he assured her softly, "You have already pleased me. Tomorrow your actions shall please me more."

"Fine," came Hikari's response as a dark tone took over her voice. Her eyes looked to the digimon lord causing his skin to crawl in response. Slowly the brunette allowed herself to straddle the boy beside her. Pushing him back on the bed she felt the dark desires within her take control of her actions. "Shall I beg for you to please me, master?"

Cocking his eyebrow in intrigue, the demon lord had not expected such a request from the chosen child of light. Anticipation filled him as recollections of the prior evening surfaced. "My angel I—"

Before Dagomon could finish his response, the girl pushed against the digimon's body allowing her body to press against his. Her lips met the creatures as she took hold of his hand and guided it to her soft breast. A moan escaped the brunette's lips as she felt her body respond in pleasure at the touch of her master. "Master…" She sighed in lust.

Hearing the moans of the girl, Dagomon felt himself losing control. Taking notice of the dark amulet glowing above the girl's chest, he wondered how much of this was the amulet and how much did the angel truly desire him. Deciding the answer was irrelevant, Dagomon brought his hands to caress the girl's awaiting body. "What is it you desire."

"You." The girl stated without missing a beat. Her eyes gazed to the boy beneath her. Suddenly without warning their positions flipped and she lay upon her back looking up to the boy.

Dagomon lowered himself and allowed his tongue to gently trace the girl's cheek. A shiver of pleasure found Hikari as she bucked her hips ever so slightly. "Be more specific." He commanded of his captive.

Feeling the closeness of her master's presence, Hikari took in a deep breath and felt herself moaning once more as his hands began to tease her body. "M-master…" Hikari began but was cut off by the creature slowly tracing his tongue over her clothed breast. Wanting to remove the barriers, she struggled to move in order to strip herself.

Seeing the girl's response caused Dagomon to smirk, "Do you wish for me to pleasure you?"

Hearing his question, Hikari moaned once more anticipating his touch, yearning to feel him within her. "Please, master."

Knowing that the girl was desperately seeking his assistance, he felt it best to seal the fate. "You must give yourself to me. Pledge that you are mine, and mine alone." With that command, Dagomon went one step further by allowing his hands to wander and caress her lower region.

Even though the fabric sparks of desire flooded over the teenager as her hormones yearned for release. Her heart began racing as her breath shortened. Closing her eyes in response she felt herself begging for more. "I am yours master. You may have my body, do whatever it is you wish to me. I _need_ you." The words came from Hikari automatically as the Yami no Omamori around her neck blazed brightly.

Without needing anymore from the human, Dagomon no longer kept the girl waiting. He knew that he had the girl exactly where he wanted her. She had declared that she was his and allowed the amulet to feed from her darkness. Within the next day she would fulfill her obligations and the real fun would begin. For tonight, however, he planned to celebrate his victory with the prize beneath him. As much as the girl wished for this intimate interaction, Dagomon desired it twice as much. Each action and touch felt as though it would send him over the edge as he enjoyed stripping everything from the child of light. It was more than he had ever imagined it would be robbing her of her light, her purity, and the very person she had been created to be.

* * *

 _A/N: Hey guys, sorry if you wanted to know what's going on in the Taimi world. I decided to get back to Hikari and set up more for the next big arc. Don't worry we'll get back to the others. This chapter kinda killed me writing because I want some Takari action, but obviously it doesn't fit in here. I know I said this story has a Takari pairing and it really will, later. It'll play a bigger role in the end. In the meantime it was interesting having the Hikari and Dagomon pairing. Part of me wanted to elaborate more on the final scene, but don't want this to be considered a lemon or anything. What are your thoughts? Is there something particular you'd be interested in seeing? I love the comments so far! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, I read them as soon as they come to my phone. Things should be picking up in the next few chapters with the awakening day upon the children. Do you think things will go as Dagomon plans? You'll have to keep reading to find out~_


	15. Choosing to have Courage

**Chapter 15: Choosing to have Courage**

"She almost died once because of me…" The words echoed throughout the cave of darkness causing the orange baby dinosaur to shiver uncomfortably. His partner had continually rambled different things over and over to himself completely shutting him out. Agumon wished that there was some way he could break through to his friend, but as his emerald eyes fixed on the girl Taichi clung to, he knew there wasn't much he could do. If only the other children were there, if only there were some way to break Taichi from this…

"Taichi…" Agumon tried again desperately, but still the bushy haired teen did not react to his words. The digimon could see the darkness surrounding the chosen, but he was at a loss as to how he would be able to help his partner. It wasn't as though he had never seen Taichi down before, it actually had happened numerous times along their adventure, but somehow he'd always managed to overcome the odds. In this situation, with what all was at stake, Agumon wasn't entirely sure there was anything he could say to Taichi to help him at the moment.

Images of the past preoccupied Taichi's mind as he remembered back all those years ago… back to when he was in second grade and Hikari was in kindergarten. That feeling of complete remorse overtook him. Images of playing outside and scolding his sister for not kicking the ball right, completely ignoring what she was battling herself filled the teen's mind. He had always been selfish, always been a mess up when it came to being a big brother. His mother scold him viciously for his mistake as his sister struggled for his life. Would she have done the same in this situation? Taichi was nothing more than a failure. Grasping his girlfriend's hand tightly within his own, the boy thought about how he had let his sister down and then turned his back on his best friend.

The darkness in the cave swirled around Taichi as his thoughts became darker and darker. What kind of leader couldn't protect those closest to him? The chosen children would be better off without him. The bushy haired teen knew that there was no way he'd possibly be able to make up for all his shortcomings. With that thought, he released his hand from Mimi's as he looked to the girl and backed away. "I'll never be good enough. I should just disappear…" He mumbled slumping back against the rocks and feeling completely helpless.

"Taichi…"

* * *

"This cave really is frightening. The atmosphere radiates with darkness and evil." Koushiro observed as the group made their way through the darkened cave in hopes of locating their leader.

Sora held YukimiBotamon in her arms as she felt herself tightly her grip around the creature for her own personal comfort as Piyomon noticed the action and fly slightly closer to her human friend. "We have to stay strong for Taichi."

"Everything is going to be alright. Have faith in Taichi."

"Nii-san?" Takeru questioned as he looked to his brother walking ahead of him. In the past his brother had fought such battles with darkness, so the younger boy did not want to question his belief, but he wondered how he could be so certain things would work out. Even though he was the bearer of hope, Takeru had moments where he was filled with doubt and worry. Continuing in silence, the teen couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Yamato already had a plan as to how he could help Taichi.

"I see him!" Gabumon shouted as the group quickly ran over to their leader who was sitting distanced from both Mimi and Agumon. "Agumon, how is he?"

Relief washed over the creature as his emerald eyes turned to his friends. "I can't get through to him at all. He is so wrapped up in his faults…"

"Taichi, we're all here now. Taichi you have to listen to us!" Sora wasn't entirely sure what she could say to get through to him at the moment. In her own mind she thought about how he had witnessed darkness consume his close friend and a digimon had his sister under his control. Those feelings seemed unbearable to the bearer of love and nothing she could think of would help her dear friend.

"What do I do… What do I do…?" The bushy haired teen repeated over and over again never moving to acknowledge his friends. Dark tendrils dances around the teen's body happily absorbing all of the human's dark thoughts.

Seeing Taichi in such a state was hard to witness. Yamato thought back to when he felt as though sadness and loneliness would wash over him. It felt as though the world around him was slowly suffocating him until eventually he felt as though he would drown in his own darkness. Now his dearest friend was facing similar battles and Yamato wondered if Taichi could fight such battles on his own. Without much more thought, the blonde haired boy approached his friend. "Taichi…" The teen stated with concern in his voice before he did the unthinkable. Without any warning, Yamato pulled his arm back and lunged forward connecting his right fist to Taichi's left cheek.

Instantly everyone in the group jumped in startle as Taichi fell backwards and lay on the ground for a few minutes. His chocolate eyes looked up to the ceiling of the cave without saying anything. A burning pain radiated from the teen's cheek as he slowly brought his hand up to caress the site of the attack. Before too long, Taichi pushed himself off the ground and stood to look at his friend.

"Taichi." Yamato did not say anything else as his cobalt eyes looked to his friend with concern etched on his features.

"Yamato…" Taichi replied before he noticed the ginger haired boy beside Yamato take a step forward.

Koushiro knew that Taichi and Yamato had their own special bond. Witnessing the way in which Yamato cared for his friend it was apparent that a simple punch was enough to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Even so, the teen knew the bushy haired teen would need much more than a punch in the face to beat his inner darkness. "You aren't to blame Taichi. You couldn't possibly be able to stop all of this from happening. That is too much pressure to put on you."

"The darkness will take any opportunity it finds to strike us down. Mimi-san and Hikari-chan wouldn't want you to be this way. They would want you to fight for them, to fight to save this world." Takeru added hoping that he may be able to help Taichi fight his inner darkness.

Jyou had witnessed Sora being overtaken by darkness, for some reason it felt a bit stranger seeing it happen to Taichi. The boy had always been so passionate and courageous in their adventures. Certainly there had been instances in which their leader had been knocked down, but always he had found a way to get back up. Thinking back, Jyou remembered the darkness Sora faced and the struggle pressure placed on her. "You can do it Taichi. We all can do it. The darkness may think it has the upper hand, but we _can_ and we _will_ beat it."

Sora slowly approached Taichi after handing YukimiBotamon to Piyomon. The girl then took his right hand within both of hers. The girl's warm brown eyes looked to her dear friend as she placed a gentle smile upon her lips. Having been in Taichi's situation in the past, she knew how hard it was to feel as though she had failed, to feel as though everyone had been let down. "No one blames you Taichi. If you don't want to fight, you don't have to. None of us are here because we have to be. Remember that we chose to be here. We chose to fight against darkness and now you have that choice again. You can stay within this dark cave or you can expel it, throw out those dark feelings and move forward. It won't be easy, the darkness won't leave us alone, but like everyone said we can beat it. Then we can save Mimi-chan and Hikari-chan. We're all behind you Taichi, you will never be alone."

Hearing the words of the humans, Agumon almost felt as though tears were filling his eyes. The dinosaur cared so deeply for the bushy haired teen that he wanted to help him in any way possible. Closing the distance between himself and his partner Agumon tapped on Taichi's leg. "I've been waiting to see you for so long Taichi. Even though it means there are burdens we must face, let's face them together. I'll always have your back, please don't give up now."

As his friends spoke, Taichi felt himself warming up. Even though the thoughts of insufficiency were still present and the regret for not being able to stop what had happened were still there, the teen knew that he had the support of his friends. Taichi wasn't alone and his friends were willing to venture inside a dark cave to make certain that was known. His hazy chocolate eyes glanced at each of his friends before closing his eyes for a moment. Suddenly it felt as though a huge weight was being lifted from his chest and the air around him became less suffocating. Slowly he opened his eyes to look at his friends. A gracious smile found his lips. "I can't hesitate; if I do nothing is going to get accomplished. If we don't use all our strength we won't get Hikari or Mimi-chan back."

"That's right Taichi. Hikari-chan and Mimi-chan would want you to fight for them. They wouldn't want you to be defeated. We'll help you all along the way, this isn't only on you. We are here too." Yamato smiled offering his hand for Taichi to shake.

Knowing that his friends were behind him no matter what and willing to support him brought great comfort to Taichi. He noticed the darkness that he had been feeling was lifted from within as the dark cave around them disappeared along with those dark feelings. Shock overtook him as he looked around and noticed they had returned to the forest.

"Just like with Sora-kun. The darkness is Taichi's heart disappeared and so did the cave." Jyou remarked as the children looked around noticing that the cave had disappeared indeed.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, the bushy haired teen walked over to Mimi and stroked a piece of her hair from her face. "I know we need to keep going. The girls are counting on us. We need to have courage and face whatever the darkness continues to throw at us."

"That sounds like the Taichi we all know and love!" Agumon shouted in excitement as he looked to his human partner.

Smiling softly the bushy haired teen shifted to pick Mimi up on his back. He was a bit taken aback by how heavy she was, but that was simply because she was nothing more than dead weight. Her head was slumped over his shoulder and it brought a bit of sadness as he remembered why she was in such a condition. "I say we move to find Gennai. Maybe he can help us figure out what our next step is."

"But how will we know where to find him?" Sora questioned in concern. It wasn't as though he had been particularly easy to find in the past.

"Let's head to the pond where he lives. That might be our best bet." Koushiro offered with no objections.

Taichi was so thankful to his friends for their strength, determination, and commitment. He knew it was going to be quite the uphill battle, but having the support that he did made it easier for him. The boy was so grateful to see the people he considered his absolute best friends. "Alright Chosen Children! Off to save our friends and the world!"

* * *

 _A/N: Man oh man has it been a while. Life has been super hectic which has led to me not being able to write. Not to mention I was a bit torn on where to go. The next major arc begins next chapter. I'm not entirely sure how many chapters it will take, but yes, the awakening day is finally among the chosen children. What will happen? Will Hikari release the retrains on the darkness or will her light shine through, what will happen to set the world's fate? Guess you'll just have to find out!_


	16. The Day of Awakening pt 1

**Chapter 16: The Day of Awakening pt. 1**

The gang of chosen children had been traveling deep into the night before they came across the familiar lake that secretly hid the home of the mysterious being Gennai. Darkness had appeared to blanket much of the digimon world, but somehow the darkness had not been able to touch this area. Comfort found the children as they took shelter within the lake and rested peacefully.

One particular child could not sleep and spent his time talking with the mysterious man about what was to come. "Gennai-san, what does that creature want with Hikari-san? How is she going to set the world's fate?" Koushiro questioned wondering how all of the events related to one another.

Gennai smiled sadly to the human genius. He had hoped that somehow they would have been able to avoid this whole ordeal. A part of him still held out hope that the light in Hikari would be enough to expel the darkness before she released the bonds that tied the dark creatures to the dark world. "You should get some sleep my boy. Tomorrow when everyone is awake I will discuss the matter further."

"Bu—" Koushiro attempted to protest but he was interrupted as soon as he began.

"Koushiro. Tomorrow may end up being the biggest day of your life. Do not take the prophecy lightly, things are going to get intense."

The ginger haired boy wanted to discuss matters further, but he felt as though it would be a waste of his time. It didn't bring him comfort knowing that Gennai was also nervous about the upcoming day. This made him wonder just how hard things were going to get if they couldn't somehow stop the demon digimon's plans. Deciding it was important to try and get some sleep the boy headed to where his friends were all resting. His dark eyes looked to the girl who was the same age as him as he frowned sadly. Mimi's condition hadn't changed at all since they had returned from the dark world. Her condition only added to the severity of the situation at hand. Everything, even their lives were at stake.

* * *

Morning came as the children felt the pressure that came with the day they assumed to be the day of awakening. Silence surrounded the group as the children and digimon alike both ate in silence until Gennai slowly approached the group. The chosens turned to the man wondering what he would tell them and what exactly they should expect.

Unable to take the awkward silence any longer the youngest blond haired boy stood up clearly frustrated. "What the hell are we supposed to do Gennai? The darkness is everywhere and what is supposed to happen today to seal the world's fate? Do you know how we can help Mimi-san or how we can save Hikari-chan?" As Takeru continued to ramble off his questions, his brother gently laid his hand upon the boy's shoulder to try and calm him down.

"I know you are frustrated my boy, but you more than anyone should know you need to have hope. Without it, there is no way you can expect to be victorious." Gennai replied in hopes to calm the situation. The anxiety and fear had consumed the chosen children and it was apparent to the old man. He knew that in order for them to face the upcoming battles they would need to rely on one another and the special qualities within to defeat the darkness.

"Gennai, everyone is one edge right now. We don't even know what to expect and there is so much going on. As soon as we leave this place the darkness is constantly watching us, plotting to consume us. Look at Mimi-chan, look how that digimon was able to get Hikari-chan, the one who has the most light out of any of us. We are scared, we are willing to fight and we have hope that we can beat this, but you have to understand this is not easy." Sora tried to explain what she assumed the rest of the children were feeling as well.

Koushiro looked around and knew that anyone could come into the room and feel the anxiety oozing from the group. Taking a deep breath, he didn't want his emotions to control him. The boy prided himself in being able to be logical and rational, especially when others may show their feelings. That wasn't to say the genius didn't get wrapped up in his own emotions, but in this moment he felt he had to remain calm so as to help the situation. "Gennai-san, we need assistance. Is there any information you can give us, anything that can help?"

Smiling softly to the children before him, Gennai knew that the digimon world was always asking too much of these heroes. They willingly would risk their lives for the betterment of both digimon and humans alike. Now they were going to be pitted against one of their own, not to mention they would be up against whatever darkness may reside in their own beings. His glance turned to the young girl who had been cursed with darkness. "The first step we need to make is to help Mimi. Patamon, that requires you."

The group turned to look at the winged guinea pig that stiffened at the statement. "Me? What can I do to help Mimi?"

Suddenly Takeru's eyes widened as it came to him. Why hadn't he thought of it before? "HolyAngemon!"

"HolyAngemon?" The group questioned not entirely sure what the perfect stage digimon could do to help Mimi.

Gennai nodded his head to the bearer of hope. "HolyAngemon has a special ability that allows him to remove curses that ail people."

Patamon smiled remembering when he had used the attack in the past and why none of the others may have remembered the incident. "When you all were captured by Piemon and turned to dolls, I used my Holy Disinfection to return you to normal."

"So HolyAngemon can heal Mimi-chan?" Yamato questioned looking over to the old man.

Relief flooded over Taichi as he knew there was still much ahead of them; however, knowing that they would be able to do something about the hand they had been dealt made the situation seem more manageable. There was hope and it helped relieve some of the stress he was still carrying within him. "It's a start. After we help Mimi-chan, we can move to deal with the day of awakening."

"Patamon shinka… Angemon! Angemon chou shinka… HolyAngemon!" Radiant light filled the room of Gennai's home as he emerged from where the winged guinea pig once stood.

As the light washed over the area all the children closed their eyes but smiles found their faces. The digimon also felt the same warmth and hope wash over them. The light faded and the children looked to one another and smiled almost as if all understanding one another. With the darkness they had been surrounded with, knowing that light could still shine brightly within the world gave them the courage and hope they desperately needed going into the unexpected.

HolyAngemon smiled to the children as he approached the sleeping child that was consumed with darkness. "Do not worry Mimi, this darkness shall no longer consume you. Holy Disinfection!" Rainbows of warm light released from the angel and engulfed Mimi's body. Slowly the girl's color returned before her caramel eyes slowly opened.

Silence overtook the room as all eyes were on the strawberry blonde. The girl slowly sat up from where she had been laying and looked around the group. Without anything being said, Mimi could see a mix of relief and sadness on her friends' faces. The realization of what had happened took over her as tears suddenly overtook her.

Concern washed over Taichi as he thought of the pain and agony his dear friend must be feeling. Then the memory of his personal darkness came to mind and the boy panicked wanted to confront Mimi on being strong and not allowing the darkness within her to form a dark cave.

Before anyone was able to say anything to the strawberry blonde, Gennai smiled softly and warmly as he placed his hands on Mimi's shoulders. "Do not worry my child, you may grieve peacefully here. The darkness cannot enter this area you will not be attacked by darkness while you are here."

"The darkness can't reach here?" Sora questioned a bit surprised by Gennai's statement.

He nodded, but then a grim look overtook him. "As of now, the darkness is not powerful enough to enter this area. However, if the seals of darkness that bind the darkness to the dark world are released, the darkness will have no rival in this or any world for that matter."

"The seals of darkness?" Gomamon questioned wondering exactly what the old man was talking about.

"Where ever there is light, naturally there will also be darkness. In order to keep darkness away from the digimon world, it was sealed into the world of darkness with creatures that were thwarted during the evolution process." Gennai began to explain before being interrupted.

"Apocalymon! That's something he was talking about!" Sora shouted remembering their final enemy on their adventure. When the creature had appeared out of the darkness he had discussed his envy of those creatures that were bathed in the light.

"Do you remember the sadness he expressed? He talked about hating how we were in the light and they had to grieve in the darkness." Jyou remembered as his eyes turned towards Gennai.

"Are the creatures we're dealing with… those that couldn't complete the evolution process? Are they the ones Apocalymon referenced?"

Gennai was surprised at how informed the children appeared to be. He knew that the chosen children were indeed very intelligent and quite observant, but hearing them piece things together so quickly was amazing for him to witness.

"That creature…" A voice brought shock to the whole group as the children turned to see their young friend staring towards the ground with her fists tightly clenched. "That shadowy figure, he was one of the digimon that couldn't evolve…"

A small frown found Gennai's face as he nodded slightly. "The creatures that could not complete the evolution process became shadowy figures that do not contain a true form anymore. These creatures are known as the Kurame no Mono. They were exiled to the dark world and are under the rule of the demon lord Dagomon. Dagomon is the one who you all saw with Hikari."

Walking over to Mimi, Taichi knelt beside her and wrapped her in his arms. Instantly his embrace broke whatever strength the girl had mustered as tears exploded from within her. The girl sobbed in his arms as the bushy haired teen attempted his best to quell her while still remaining active in the conversation.

"Ok, so these Kurame no Mono work for Dagomon, but what are they trying to accomplish? They want to break out of the dark world and come here?" The leader questioned not entirely sure he was piecing everything together.

Koushiro tried to think of everything that they knew of so far. The prophecy was fresh in his mind and he knew so far everything that was supposed to happen according to the prophecy had. "So… _When seals of darkness knock, a Light is tainted._ This was when Hikari-san was tormented by the darkness until she gave in. _Ancient spirits do the dark lord's bidding, striving for consumption._ I'm guessing that this referenced the digimon who couldn't complete the evolution process. They are striving to consume the world as a form of revenge. _Light draws the darkness until the Purity fades._ The darkness was drawn to Hikari-san because of the light she bears and because it wants to use her power, then Palmon was…" Koushiro paused for a quick moment as his eyes met Taichi's and he looked down to the sobbing Mimi. "Purity faded when Mimi was cursed by the darkness… Now we're to _the day of awakening sets the world's fate._ So how is today going to set the world's fate? Is there something we can do to make sure the fate of the world is positive and bathed in light and not darkness?"

Yamato clicked his tongue in annoyance as he thought about the rest of the prophecy. "I'd like to say there is hope and all. I mean that's why we're here fighting and stuff, but I don't think whatever goes down today is going to go in our favor."

This statement shocked the group as they turned their attention to the blonde teenager who had his arms crossed and appeared rather tense. "Why do you think that Yamato?" Gabumon asked his partner who appeared to not have hope in the group.

"I'm not saying that we won't be able to win this war, but I'm saying I don't think we're going to win it today. Think about the rest of the prophecy: _Armies plummet from the sky. The only Hope lies in the Friendship ties. Love finds no solution although the Courage honorable. Only through Knowledge and Sincerity do the tides turn. Combined together in all, Light must return to burn._ So basically a lot of shit would have to happen today in order for us to win, but I don't think it'll be that easy." He explained knowing full well a huge war that may take numerous days may have just been beginning.

"Ok… So you have a point. But what exactly is supposed to go down today then?" Taichi questioned as his attention turned to the old man who had been waiting ever so patiently to discuss matters further with the children.

Gennai looked to the group of heroes and knew their future adventures would be rough and test their bonds of friendship and their personal strength. "Today Hikari will appear at Mugen Mountain. It is there that she will either decide to release the seals of darkness or strengthen the power of the light that maintains the seal."

The group took a moment to process what they had been told, but overall the group remained puzzled. Takeru was the first to speak as he couldn't help but glare at the situation. "How do you know all of this? Is there stuff you aren't telling us Gennai? Why will Hikari-chan be at Mugen Mountain of all places? How do you know the fate is up to her?"

HolyAngemon placed a gentle hand on his chosen child partner and smiled sadly at the teen. "Takeru, calm down. I know this is hard, but let's listen to Gennai instead of attack him." At this, Takeru couldn't help be click his tongue and then bite his lower lip in frustration.

"Mugen Mountain is the place where the most darkness lives in this world. It has always attracted the powers of evil as you all witnessed firsthand in your very first adventure. Hikari is the catalyst for the dark lord. Because Hikari is the bearer of light, she has the power to release the seals of darkness if she chooses the darkness over the light. However, if Hikari chooses to expel the darkness, she can save the world and maintain the seal that keeps the dark creatures in the world of darkness."

"So we need to get to Mugen Mountain and make sure Hikari-chan makes the right choice." Sora said with a smile on her face. "I think if we can get through to her, it'll all work out."

"I don't think it'll be so easy." Agumon interjected as he looked to his partner and the others. "Remember when we were in that dark world? Hikari didn't even know who we were. That Dagomon has her deep in his control, we might need to prepare for having to go against her."

"What do you mean? Kill her?!" Takeru spat in anger not knowing where the dinosaur was going, but knowing full well he would never go against his best friend.

"Calm down Takeru, none of us obviously want to kill Hikari." Taichi responded knowing he would be the best to get through to their youngest member. "However, Agumon has a point. If Hikari is about to break the seal of darkness, we'll have to find some way to stop her. We can't let her cover the digimon world in darkness."

"It wouldn't just be the digimon world. If the seal of darkness is lifted, all worlds will be covered by the darkness. Light will be completely overtaken as Hikari will have expelled the light and replaced everything with darkness instead." Gennai explained hoping the severity of the event would sink in.

"OK, so we need to go to Mugen Mountain and make sure the world's fate the prophecy talks about is Hikari getting rid of the darkness." Yamato stated as he turned to Gabumon who nodded his head in agreement.

"To Mugen Mountain!" Jyou shouted pumping his fist in the air knowing this adventure may be their greatest yet.

The rest of the group cheered and attempted to boost their energy as child and digimon alike prepared for whatever the day may have in store for them. As the digimon prepared to evolve the young ginger haired girl stood back from the group and looked to the strawberry blonde who had her arms wrapped around her knees and did not appear prepared for what was to come.

"We can't take Mimi-chan with us…" Sora stated to the group as everyone's attention turned to the younger girl who was still grieving the loss of her partner. "As soon as Mimi-chan leaves this lake, the darkness will attack her with everything it has… We can't bring her into that situation."

Taichi frowned as he walked over to Mimi and brushed some of her hair from her face. He looked to her pale face that had red stains from her tears. Gently the boy wiped a tear from her face and stroked her hair. "Mimi-chan, you will be safe here. We're going to make things right. Please don't give up hope. I know this is hard Mimi-chan." He felt as though none of his words would get through to his girlfriend and he really couldn't blame her. If he had lost Agumon, the boy had no idea how he would cope with such feelings. Although, he did know what it was like to feel regret for something bad happening to his partner. Smiling softly, Taichi tucked a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind Mimi's ear and placed a gentle kiss upon her cheek. "Listen Mimi. No matter how regretful you feel, there's nothing you can do about it now. You've got to keep your spirits up. We'll find Palmon once this mess is over and she'll need to see that smiling, bubbly face of yours." With that Taichi stood up and rejoined the group.

Mimi's eyes widened as Taichi used basically the same speech she had given him in the past in hopes to help her through her sorrow. The girl turned to her friends as she watched all the digimon evolve and prepare to venture to Mugen Mountain. Standing, she walked beside Gennai and held her hands tightly up to her chest. "Everyone… Be careful." She muttered softly as she watched her dear friends leave the lake and venture to the place where the fate of the world would be determined.

* * *

 _A/N_ : _Yaaaaah! It's been far FAR too long since I updated! I know, I know! Don't fret! I am still working on this story. I just haven't had time with life and illnesses and whatnot to find time to actually sit down and type. However, I finally finished the first chapter of the new arc and hope it was to your liking! Not too much action, mainly talk, but Mimi is no longer cursed! Things are going to heat up now that the day of awakening has arrived. What do you think will happen? Will the chosen children be able to reach Hikari? Or will she bring about the end of the world? Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out~_


	17. Tha Day of Awakening pt 2

**Chapter 17: The Day of Awakening pt. 2**

Darkness surrounded Hikari as she frantically looked around her. Again she had been drawn to this strange place with no recollection of what had transpired. She felt anger and frustration as a young child appeared before her. In this area of darkness the only light to be found came from this small child. A sad frown formed the features of her lips as pity seemed to radiate from her.

"Why? Why do you look at me like that?!" Hikari shouted in frustration feeling the amulet resting upon her chest heat up in response to her emotions.

"Wake up before you do something you regret." The small child calmly replied with desperation lingering within her words.

"You aren't making any sense! Why don't you leave me alone?" She questioned taking a step towards the girl causing the child to react by distancing herself more.

"Is this really what you want? Remember, remember who you are!" The child pleaded as her body began to dim and flicker.

Hikari stood there looking at the small child. The darkness in the area curled around her body and swirled around the amulet she wore. The young brunette noticed the child trying to speak to her once more; however, this time her voice was inaudible before the child disappeared completely leaving Hikari alone in the darkness.

Slowly the bearer of light opened her eyes to notice a young boy holding her as she had been sleeping. Sitting up, Hikari allowed her muscles to stretch and slowly awaken. It was at that moment she turned to look at Dagomon who was in high spirits. "Master, today is the day?''

Dagomon could barely contain his excitement as he looked to the chosen child before him. The dark amulet continued to keep her within his control and amplify the darkness within her. The demon lord knew that today the chosen children would attempt to thwart his plans, but he truly believed he had Hikari had fall so deep into the darkness that there was no way they would be able to stop her from releasing the seals and rejecting the light within her. "Yes, today is the day we can leave this world and begin the new future."

Hours had passed until the time was at hand to put the plan into action. Hikari stood in the middle of a huge thrown room as hundreds of Kurame no Mono bowed before her and their master. The child's dull eyes looked to the creature that hid in a human form beside her. Her eyes watched as the young boy approached her and slowly traced the outline of the amulet she wore around her neck. The sensation of his hand touching her brought shivers down the girl's spine as she tendrils of darkness that surrounded her quivered with excitement.

Within the room tension was high as the dark beings knew this human held within her the power to change their fate. No longer would darkness be condemned to the dark world. It would be allowed to consume other worlds and do as it pleased. The tendrils crawled around Hikari's body influencing the child to do their bidding.

"The day has come! Our dark angel has arrived and shall deliver us from this prison!"

Cheers and restless excitement escaped the dark ones as all eyes were on the human. Hikari stood with her holy device in one hands and allowed her other hand to touch the very place Dagomon had been stroking moments before. Her eyes looked to her master before he swooped in to forcefully place a kiss upon her lips. Hikari could feel the amulet burn within her grasp as she felt shivers overtake her body. Her only desire was to do as she was instructed.

* * *

The darkness in the Digimon World had been fast at work spreading and consuming every inch possible. As the chosen children and their partners raced toward Mugen Mountain fear was hard to keep at bay. The urgency of the situation was at the forefront of everyone's minds as worst case scenarios appeared to overtake their thinking.

Takeru knew that if they could not get through to Hikari things could end very badly. He also was aware of the fact the others were willing to stop Hikari in order to make sure the seals of darkness were not released. However… He wasn't sure he'd be able to go against his best friend. If they were unable to get through to the bearer of light, Takeru wondered if he would really be able to put the whole world ahead of his best friend.

Glancing over in the direction of his brother, Yamato could tell Takeru was not ready for what was about to happen. Even though he had been pretty good at hiding such feelings in the past, the older brother knew that this situation would be different than anyone could have every foreseen. It was no secret the feelings Takeru had for the younger Yagami. The problem was how or if Takeru would truly be able to put those feelings aside to do what needed to be done. The thought of going against one of their own was unsettling, but if it was the whole world or Hikari, it was hard to justify not going with the whole world. As they continued to close in on Mugen Mountain, the blonde haired boy could only hope the situation would not become as bad as he feared it would.

"We're almost there; do we have any sort of plan?" Jyou shouted from AtlurKabuterimon's back.

"Don't die." MetalGarurumon responded not quite giving Jyou the response he had been searching for.

Taichi knew the tension was tight and that fear and anxiety was at an all time high for the group. He himself had nerves all tightened within his stomach. In fact, the bushy haired teen was quite surprised by the fact he had been able to avoid vomiting despite feeling as though he needed to. "We have to get through to Hikari. However that may be, we cannot allow her to break that seal. If she won't listen to us, we'll have to force her to listen."

Sora didn't like the thought of going against Hikari, but she also understood the importance of nipping this war in the bud before it really exploded. "How exactly are we going to get her to listen? How can we physically stop her if she doesn't?"

"Knock her out. It's the only option." WarGreymon stated without any hint of joking.

Hearing the proposed solution nearly sent Takeru over the edge as he thought about the digimon physically harming Hikari. "No! This isn't her fault! We can't just attack her like she is some evil being. It's Hikari-chan! She's our friend!" Desperation was apparent in the boy's voice as he panicked thinking about everyone turning on his best friend.

Taichi knew that Takeru would be opposed to anything remotely dealing with turning against his sister. It is for that reason he had always been fond of the younger child. He chosen of hope had always been looking out for his sister. "Takeru, this isn't easy for any of us."

"Taichi-san how can you be okay with this?!" The youngest chosen child was having an even more difficult time accepting the fact that Taichi was on board with attacking Hikari if it came down to it. How could they be so willing to turn against their friend? Didn't they have hope that there was a way to save Hikari without hurting her?

Sora could see the struggle Takeru was dealing with. Everyone knew that he had cared so deeply for the girl; it was something she had witnessed firsthand during their adventures in the Digimon World. "Takeru-kun… No one wants to hurt Hikari-chan."

"Takeru, please understand where everyone is coming from." HolyAngemon could sense the frustration his partner had and wished this wasn't as difficult as it was. "How do you think Hikari, the real Hikari, would feel if we didn't stop her? Do you think she would want us to be passive about stopping her?"

Even though his partner and his friends were making valid points, the blonde haired teen just didn't know how they could actually go through with standing up against her. Even if they weren't talking about killing her, knocking her out just seemed excessive in Takeru's mind.

As they continued to travel everyone's tension was escalating and the doubt within Takeru instead of his hope could be a hindrance to their success. Koushiro could not blame the younger child for wanting to stick up for their friend, but he also knew that the bearer of hope was not thinking rationally. Not to mention, Koushiro had listened to Taichi talk about Hikari's thought process and personality in the past. Despite the fact that the ginger haired boy was not as close to Hikari as Takeru was, he knew this was the approach she would want to take. "Takeru-kun, we need to think about Hikari-san. During our first adventure in the Digimon World, do you remember when Hikari-san was sick? Taichi-san talked to me about a time when she was so sick that she almost died because he had taken her outside to play."

Koushiro paused for a moment to look over at Taichi wondering if discussing this was something he had not wanted brought up again. Nevertheless, the child of knowledge felt that sharing his knowledge may help to convince Takeru that this needed to be their action plan if they couldn't verbally convince her.

"Regardless of the fact that she did not feel well, Hikari-san did not want to let Taichi-san down so she went outside to play with him. He explained to me after sharing this story that this was the type of person Hikari-san is. I know you have seen this too. She is always thinking about other people before herself. If she knew that the fate of the world depended on her, that if we did not stop her darkness would consume everything… Honestly, how do you think she would feel?"

"Do you remember when she was sick during our fight with Mugendramon?" Garudamon asked.

Sora smiled softly in Takeru's direction. "She was still battling her cold, but she used her powers to stand up to WaruMonzaemon and Mugendramon. Hikari-chan cares so deeply about the creatures in this world and everyone in general. I can't imagine how she would feel if she found out she unleashed the darkness."

As the group continued to talk, Takeru felt as though everyone knew Hikari better than he did. Suddenly a feeling of sadness and disappointment overtook him. All this time he had been thinking selfishly instead of thinking about the girl he cared so deeply for. Sure, he had been thinking about her physically and not wanting to hurt her, but he hadn't been truly thinking about her. All the points that were being brought up were true. Hikari would not want to find out she had caused pain and suffering by releasing the darkness. "I'm sorry everyone. You guys are right."

"We need to just stay strong. Takeru I understand where you are coming from, you don't need to apologize. It's hard, but we are thinking about Hikari. We're thinking about what she would really want us to do." Taichi looked back at the younger teen who only nodded in response.

"Mugen Mountain is straight ahead. Keep your guard up, we don't know what is waiting for us." MetalGarurumon warned as he continued to race towards their destination.

"Whatever happens here, we need to have faith in each other. We need to have faith in ourselves and hope that even if the worse happens, there is some way we can overcome this." Sora stated as she gripped her shirt tightly by her chest praying that they could actually find a way to prevent Hikari from breaking the seals of darkness.

"Hikari-kun said it best. We cannot allow the light in our hearts to die out. We are the only ones that stand any chance at stopping this darkness." Jyou responded as he pulled out his digivice and looked to Gomamon.

As the group of chosen children and their digimon rushed to the top of the mountain they witnessed fog surrounding the peak. Once the fog broke, a silhouette of a person began to form from what appeared to be digital data similar to what would be seen when a television reception had been broken. The children demounted their digimon as the creatures did not bother dropping their evolutions. For the moment it appeared Hikari stood alone, but they never knew who else may show up with the girl.

"Hikari-chan…" Takeru stated sadly as he went to approach the girl, but found himself being held back by HolyAngemon.

Silence overtook the group of children as they all looked to their friend. For some reason, seeing the girl standing by herself didn't bring them the comfort they thought they should feel. There were no creepy shadow creatures with her. The demon lord had been unable to make it into the Digimon World. Although she stood there alone, none of the children really knew how to approach her.

Hikari looked as the group of children stared at her. These were the same people she had seen in her dreams. They reminded her of the annoying little girl that continued to talk to her in those dreams. Anger began to well within the girl as she took note of the expressions all the children wore. In reaction to the anger, the amulet she wore began to radiate with heat. "Go away!" The brunette demanded causing the children to jump in shock.

The Digimon World appeared to tremble as a violent, icy breeze swept the area. The children had to cover their faces in response as they attempted to look to their friend. The glare upon Hikari's face did not disappear as she clenched a small device within her hand tightly.

"We have to stop her!" Sora shouted as she turned to Garudamon wondering just how they were going to stop Hikari.

Panic overtook Takeru as he looked around the group. "We don't even know what she is going to do. How do we know that we need force?"

As the wind continued to howl, Taichi knew time was running out. Whatever his sister was supposed to do they needed to prevent. His chocolate eyes looked towards his sister. Never had she worn such a hateful expression on her face. This wasn't the girl he loved and tried so desperately to protect. "You don't need to do this! Hikari please you have to wake up!" Taichi pleaded as he attempted to walk towards his sister. For some reason the wind reacted violently and began to push him back.

Koushiro examined the area surrounding them. He noticed the wind did not seem to affect Hikari in the least bit. The girl stood un-phased as the wind whipped towards them. It was in that moment of observation he noticed the source of the disturbance. "Look! Hikari-san is wearing an amulet of some sort. It appears the dark energy is being coursed through it and thrown at us."

"That is the source of this wind?" Yamato shouted as he stumbled to his knees as the force seemed to increase.

"GO AWAY!" Hikari shouted once more this time the anger more apparent and the amulet burned brighter.

Realization hit Takeru as he noticed that this was no longer his best friend. Whoever was standing before them was no long Yagami Hikari. Sadness overtook the boy as he thought about what his instincts were telling him to do. In this moment if they did not stop Hikari, every world would be in grave danger. A great deal of guilt overtook him as he turned to his partner.

Instantly HolyAngemon noticed the change in Takeru's disposition. Without an exchange of words, the angel nodded his head to his partner. Without any warning the perfect stage creature flew towards Hikari knowing no matter what, in spite of the love and allegiance they had with this human, she could not be allowed to fulfill the prophecy. "Forgive me."

Within moments HolyAngemon was within reach of Hikari. Time seemed to stand still as all the children watched on in sadness, defeat, and panic as the angel drew his sword. No one knew exactly what the outcome would be. The wind increased in violence as the children shrieked in attempts to shield their faces from the natural debris that was being thrown at them. Through squinted eyes they watched on as HolyAngemon lunged towards Hikari with his sword approaching the girl. With held breaths, the children had been unprepared for what happened next.

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 _A/N: I have not abandoned this story. In fact, I have been working on it all this time. I know it has been a while since I updated and I'm so thankful for your patience and the fact you are still reading the story. This seemed like the perfect place to end this chapter. I know it's a cliff hanger, but I'm hoping the next chapter will be done much sooner than this was. What do you think of the pre-battle discussion? Please leave reviews, I always appreciate them and it does motivate me to keep going. Thank you so much~_


	18. Tha Day of Awakening pt 3

**Chapter 18 "The Day of Awakening pt. 3"**

HolyAngemon lunged towards Hikari as fast as he could. The resistance from the wind made flight difficult, but he knew if he was unable to get to the child all hope would be lost. With his sword drawn, the creature slashed it towards the human girl's chest with every desire to remove the amulet she wore around her neck. All the dark energy seemed to manifest itself within the jewel and it only made sense that by removing it from Hikari would kill the wind and make saving her more manageable.

As the angel reached the human his blade came within inches of her chest before a force unlike any he had felt before forced him tumbling backwards far past where the other children and their partners stood. The force from the blast sent the children and digimon tumbling backwards as shrieks filled the air.

"What the fuck was that?!" Yamato shouted as he winced in pain.

Just as the group attempted to collect themselves, Takeru looked in the direction of the brunette. Her eyes were glowing the same crimson as the amulet around her neck. He witnessed as she slowly brought her digivice to her chest and grasped it in both of her hands.

"HIKARI-CHAN!" Takeru screamed as loud as his lungs would allow him as he closed his eyes tightly in hopes that he could somehow get through to her. Slowly he rose to his feet in desperation. He felt like if only he could reach her and wrap his arms around her that he may be able to stop her from going through with releasing the darkness. "DON'T DO IT!"

Ignoring the pleas from the child before her, the young brunette closed her eyes and turned to the tendrils of darkness that clung to her body. She felt the power from within her gather into the device she grasped within her hands. Without saying anything the girl accepted the powers of darkness that engulfed her. Suddenly dark beams of black energy released from the girl's hands as the action forced all the digimon present to regress to their child stages.

The chosen children looked in horror as darkness seemed to emit itself from Hikari's body. Before too long, the sky above them seemed to crack in response. As the dark energy died down, the child lay unconscious on the ground and without any warning shadowy figures materialized beside her.

Panic flooded through the children as they rushed to their feet ready to fight for their friend. Before they could make a move though, the digimon rushed to put themselves between the creatures and their partners.

"We can't do anything; we have to get out of here." Agumon pleaded as his emerald eyes looked to his partner.

Clenching his fists tightly, Taichi turned to look at the other children who were being blocked by the other digimon. His eyes turned to look back in the direction of his unconscious sister. Deep down he knew they didn't stand any chance against the shadowy creatures, especially if their partners had been forced back to their child forms. Nevertheless, it was difficult for him to make the call to abandon her sister. How? How could it have turned out like this? How could they have not stopped Hikari from breaking the seal? "Damnit!" Taichi shouted before turning to his friends.

"We have to get out of here before they get to us." Yamato replied trying to direct the situation as best as he could. He knew their leader might not be in the best operating condition so he attempted to take over momentarily.

Koushiro was concerned that the children wouldn't be able to get away in the condition they and their partners were in. "It may be best we lay low and find a cave to hide in. Our partners need to regroup and we are not guaranteed to get out of here on foot safely with these creatures all around.

"Let's hurry before they notice us and wage war." Sora directed the children in the opposite direction the Kurame no Mono were and took one last glance back at Hikari. The girl knew this was the worst case scenario and part of her felt guilty there had been absolutely nothing she had been able to do. _'I'm sorry Hikari-chan. Don't worry, we aren't giving up yet… We'll find some way to fix this mess, I promise!'_

Takeru stood glued in place as his cobalt eyes looked to the girl he cared so deeply about. Tears seemed to find his eyes as he bit his lip in defeat. Turning from where she lay, the boy couldn't believe he had failed. A dark presence seemed to surround the boy as he tried to fight the negativity he felt. Knowing he had let everyone down by not being able to stop Hikari, Takeru wondered how anyone would be able to forgive him. _'How could you not stop this? How could you let her down? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!'_

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After everyone had left Mimi had a hard time focusing on anything but the sadness within her heart. She wasn't sure what had her more upset, the fact that she had let Palmon down or the fact she was letting her friends down by not being able to help them stop Hikari. The strawberry blonde let out a soft sigh. Her caramel eyes stared out the window of Gennai's home. Inwardly she wished she wasn't as upset as she was. The girl thought back to their first adventure and the moment Takeru lost Patamon. Mimi could remember Takeru being sad that his partner had died, but she also remembered how well he handled the situation.

Standing slowly, the girl wiped the remaining tears from her face. She didn't have time to dwell on what had happened. Just as she felt the courage and determination to face whatever the darkness had to offer, the ground beneath her began to violently shake. "What the?!" Mimi shouted as she fell to the ground and covered her head. All around the girl the building began to crumble. Mimi scrambled to her feet as she tried to get out of the room she was in. "Gennai-san? Gennai-san!" The strawberry blonde shouted as she rushed through the home.

After searching, she heard the old man grunting from beneath a book shelf. "Gennai-san!" She gasped rushing over to the man's aid. Her caramel eyes looked at the bookshelf in concern wondering how on earth she would be able to move it by herself. Quickly she attempted to use her arm strength to move the object, but she found herself straining to no avail. "What can I do Gennai-san?" The girl questioned in desperation as she felt panic rise within her.

"You must get out of here Mimi. The darkness has been released and will attack this place soon enough." The old man instructed as he himself attempted to move the bookcase that rested on top of his body.

"Gennai-san, I can't leave you here! I'll get you out somehow… Just… just tell me what to do." Mimi pleaded as tears filled her eyes. She couldn't run away and leave him helpless. Even if he had been frustrating in the past by how unhelpful he could be, the chosen children had a lot to be thankful for. Gennai had been there for them in helping them to understand their destiny and help them by providing them with information.

"My child I—"

"NO!" Mimi shouted sternly as once again she placed her hands on the bookshelf and attempted to push it off the man. "I don't want to hear it! The darkness will not win. It won't get the better of us! I'm not going to abandon you Gennai-san, we'll get out of here together! No more lives… The darkness cannot be allowed to take any more lives!" The girl shouted as suddenly her chest felt warm. Deep within Mimi a power seemed to gather as the symbol for Purity appeared near her heart. With once final attempt, the girl gathered as much strength as she could manage and pushed the bookshelf.

Gasping for air, the strawberry blonde rushed to Gennai's side and helped him to his feet. The old man winced in pain, but could not believe the determination of the human before him. Gratitude found his face as he smiled to her. "Thank you my child."

"We need to get out of here. Gennai-san, we have to hurry. We have to find the others!" Mimi felt urgency as she thought about all the damage darkness could cause.

"Before we find the others my dear, I believe it may be beneficial to head to the Village of Beginnings." The old man suggested knowing the importance of reuniting Mimi and Palmon. Only with all the chosen children and their digimon partners did the group stand a chance of saving Hikari and bringing an end to this war with darkness.

"The Village of Beginnings?" Mimi questioned as her eyes looked to the man. She wanted to be reunited with Palmon, but at the same time the girl was concerned about her friends. "Don't you think we need to find the others before we find Palmon?"

"If the darkness is as relentless as I believe it will be, I can see the village being one of the first places being attacked."

Fear overtook Mimi's figure as she thought about the thousands of innocent digitamas that would be defenseless against the onslaught of a darkness attack. "Oh no! Gennai-san, how can we get there before that happens?"

Smiling softly the man gently placed his palm upon the teenager's shoulder. "We can use my Mekanorimon to fly there."

"Let's go! We have to move quickly Gennai-san, we can't be too late!" Mimi pleaded as her eyes looked as his house began to crumble around them. The darkness had invaded the area and the girl became fully aware of just how serious the situation had become. _'Wait for me Palmon, I'm coming to find you!'_

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 _A/N: Two chapters in one day for you guys~ I felt bad for having not posted in a while and had the time to write. This chapter is rather short, but I didn't feel like it needed to be dragged out. Let me know what you think of what's happening._


	19. The Wedge that Broke the Group

**Chapter 19: "The Wedge that Broke the Group"**

Following the defeat at Mugen Mountain the six chosen children and their digimon had managed to find a secluded cave to hide in while allowing the darkness and armies of dark digimon and Kurame no Mono to cascade from the sky. Fear and feelings of defeat managed to overtake the children as they thought about what they had witnessed. Somehow they had not even had the opportunity to attempt to talk to Hikari. There had been no creatures to influence her actions; instead, their dear friend chose to go against them all on her own.

Silence had overtaken the group as most of them tried to think about exactly where they were going to head from here. Surrounding the group of children lay each of their digivices that were glowing a dim light. Koushiro had suggested that each child use their digivice to form a barrier around them. It was with this action he was hoping the devices would shield them from the consuming darkness and allow them time to recover without the stress of worrying if they were vulnerable to being attacked.

After what seemed like a long stretch of silence, Yamato let out a frustrated sigh as he lay back and rested his head upon his arms. "I don't know if I've ever been so frustrated." The blonde admitted.

Gabumon frowned to his partner as he lowered his own head. "We were powerless to help…"

"It's no one's fault Gabumon." Sora stated with a soft smiling hoping to lighten the mood. Her chocolate eyes looked around the group and could gather that the majority of the group was feeling rather defeated and glum. It wasn't like she could blame anyone; she herself was feeling such feelings. The difference was the girl didn't want to allow such feelings to dictate her actions. "This isn't the end for us. Think about the rest of the prophecy, there is still hope!"

Takeru clicked his tongue in annoyance as he let out a small exaggerated chuckle. "Yeah, it even says there is hope. _The only hope lies in the friendship ties._ I'm not feeling there were any ties of friendship Hikari-chan was holding onto."

The youngest boy's reaction had brought a small shock to the group as everyone quieted down and stared in his direction. It wasn't exactly in character for the bearer of hope of all people to have feelings of hopelessness. What was even more surprising was the coldness in his voice as he spoke of Hikari.

Patamon frowned as he fluttered beside his partner. The winged guinea pig could sense just how hurt his friend had been by the betrayal of the bearer of light, but he didn't like the effect it was having. "We can still get her back Takeru… Don't place the blame on Hikari."

"And why shouldn't we? She chose darkness over us! How? How could she just glare at us like we meant absolutely nothing to her? I just… How… She…" The blonde teen began to choke as he couldn't think of the right words to express his feelings. His hands were clenched tightly into fists beside him as he closed his eyes in hopes to somehow clear his thoughts. Never before had he felt so hurt and betrayed. Takeru wasn't sure who he was truly more made at, Hikari or himself.

An awkward silence found the group of children once more. Everyone was staring either at the ground or at the back of their eyelids. It was a stressful situation for them to be in. No one truly felt as though they could help their friends.

"We knew this wasn't going to be easy…" Taichi started as his eyes looked to each of his five friends and then the six digimon partners that they had with them. Briefly his mind worried about how Mimi was doing, but he trusted Gennai to look after her during this time of crisis. Little did he know, she was actually in a much better mental situation than any of the others. "We can't just give in. What good would that do us?"

Takeru snickered in anger as he glared to the leader. "What good does fighting Hikari-chan do us? Can we honestly win against this darkness? She didn't even recognize us? How can we possibly do anything? There is no hope at all! I just can't handle this!" The boy snapped as he got up without warning, grabbed his digivice from the circle and sprinted as fast as he could. It wasn't as though he really knew what he was doing. Patamon jolted in shock and whizzed as fast as he could in the direction his partner had ran.

Again, shock found the chosen children as the remaining five humans exchanged looks at one another. Of all people, to experience Takeru having a meltdown was not something they had ever really witnessed. Even Yamato felt awkward because of his brother's outburst. The older sibling went to go after his brother, but he was greeted by an arm stopping him. Looking up, the spiky haired blonde was surprised to see Taichi already on his feet.

The bushy haired leader shook his head lightly as he looked to his close friend. "Don't worry Yamato, I'll look after him. Once I can get through to him, we'll rejoin you guys. This can't be easy on Takeru. He cares so much for Hikari; I bet he's breaking on the inside."

"Take good care of him Taichi. We'll figure out some sort of plan and catch you up when you return." Sora smiled softly earning a nod from the leader.

Taichi smiled in appreciation as he gave a thumbs up to Agumon before he and the orange dinosaur took off out of the cave entrance.

For a few moments following Taichi and Agumon's departure the remaining chosen children were trying to collect themselves. Finally Jyou cleared his throat and looked around. He knew that everyone had their own thoughts and it was a difficult situation, but he felt something productive needed to be done. Sitting in a cave waiting for Taichi to calm Takeru down wasn't going to beneficial by any means. "I don't think we should just sit here… Every second the darkness grows more powerful and more innocent creatures are going to get hurt."

Koushiro who had been rather quiet up until this point nodded his head in agreement. It was important for the group to come up with some sort of game plan if they had any hope of combating the darkness and being successful in doing so. "If we do not think about our next moves, we may not stand any chance."

"The first step should be reunification." Yamato stated as he looked around to his friends who appeared slightly puzzled. "We're to the line: _hope lies in the ties of friendship._ "

"Takeru already basically showed us that he isn't up for being hopeful at the moment." Piyomon pointed out with a slight frown.

Yamato nodded his head in acknowledgement. "You're right, but I'm not entirely sure the line really is talking about Takeru. Sure it talks about hope, but friendship ties I don't think is talking about how my brother feels about me."

"Interesting analysis… What are you suggesting the line is referencing Yamato-san?" Koushiro questioned out of curiosity.

"I think it talks about all of us. Our ties of friendship are important, but I also think the ties of friendship we have with the creatures of this world will help us combat the darkness."

Sora held her hand up to her chin as she thought about what the boy was suggesting. It made sense that the prophecy might not just be talking about hope and friendship as the people that possessed those qualities. "So… are you suggesting that we need to find allies to team up with? Kind of like Mimi-chan and Jyou-senpai did when we fought Piemon?"

Jyou tilted his head from side to side as he contemplated what was being thrown out by the other children. "So… Let's find digimon who are willing to stand up to the darkness."

"Gabumon and I are going to go for a while and we'll meet up with you guys later." Yamato suggested as he grabbed his digivice and looked to his friends.

Concern overtook Sora's face as she looked to the blond haired boy. "You are going to go on your own Yamato-kun? Why not let me go with you?"

Smiling softly, the boy shook his head. "Gabumon and I won't be gone long. We'll catch up to you guys. It'll be safer for you to travel as a group in case you are attacked."

"What about you? Is traveling alone safe?" Koushiro questioned unsure if the older teen was fully thinking out his plan.

Yamato loved how caring his friends were. It truly gave him hope that they would be able to rely on those ties of friendship to find a way to win this war against the darkness. "I have MetalGarurumon. We'll be fine, right Gabumon?"

The wolf creature smiled softly and nodded to his partner. Even though the creature was unsure as to why his partner wanted to venture out on his own, he had learned to not question his friend. "I'll keep him safe. Don't worry about us."

The ginger haired girl still found herself a little hesitant to let the boy go off on his own, but she didn't want to be the one that brought strain to the situation by being defiant and disagreeing. "Be careful."

Nodding his head in response, the boy knew his friends cared deeply about him. This departure was much different than the time he opted to go on his own during the first adventure. Yamato understood who he was now, as well as, his role as a part of the chosen children. "We'll be back before you even have a chance to miss us. Let's go Gabumon!" With that, the two departed from the cave leaving Jyou, Koushiro, and Sora behind with their digimon.

"From the looks of it, we are the only ones left. Shall we start looking for some allies?" Tentomon questioned as he buzzed around the group.

"Where do we even begin?" Sora questioned as she looked to the boys around her.

"The roads we all take are different, but the place we end up in is the same." Piyomon stated with a smile.

"Just like when we were separated during our first adventure. We'll just follow our path until we eventually meet up with the others." Koushiro agreed as he gathered the remaining digivices and handed them back to his friends.

With confidence Jyou knew that everything would be all right. It was not easy to have hope, but during this time he knew it was necessary for them to continue on. "Alright, let's go find some comrades to help us combat this darkness!"

* * *

 _A/N:_ _I hope you guys enjoyed this transition chapter. The next segment is really going to focus on individual children and their personal issues and strengths they get from others. If you are wondering about what's going on with Hikari, you're going to be disappointed because you have a few more chapters before I'll be bringing her back into the story. She plays a much bigger role after this arc. As always, please leave me reviews I'm trying my best to actually respond to them. Thanks so much~_


	20. Hope is More than Guaranteed Victory

_A/N:_ _Sorry for taking so long to publish this chapter. I had a great deal of it finished and then my computer ate it up and never gave it back to me. So sadly I had to rewrite it._

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Hope is More than Guaranteed Victory**

A once vibrant and beautiful digital world had turned darker than ever before. The lush greenery of the land had been replaced by monochrome and death. Stillness overtook the land and all hope of changing the situation seemed to have been lost. Deep within a forest, a young human boy sat beside a tree with his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. Darkness surrounded the boy threatening to overtake him if the opportunity presented itself.

"Takeru…" A winged guinea pig like creature stated sadly as its bright icy blue eyes looked to his friend and partner. They had left the group after the human could no longer handle processing the situation at hand. Instead he chose to run from his friends and get as far away as he could.

Even though his partner was trying to talk to him, Takeru wasn't ready to talk about what had happened. He wasn't ready to face the reality of what all had taken place. At the moment there was too much anger boiling within him. A mix of regret, anger, and sadness just couldn't seem to leave him alone. The blonde haired human was well aware of the darkness surrounding him waiting eagerly to possess him as it had so many of his friends in the past. Part of the boy wondered the point in pushing the darkness away. After all, Hikari of all people had been claimed by the darkness. What real chance did he have in beating it if she couldn't? All of the thoughts that ran through his mind felt too heavy for him to sort out. He was too overwhelmed and felt too defeated.

Letting out a soft sigh, the boy slowly lifted his head and looked to his partner. Concern was etched all over Patamon's face and Takeru knew it wasn't right for him to be dragged along with him. "I just can't do it Patamon… I just can't wrap my mind around everything that has happened… How? How _did_ this happen?"

Frowning, there was a long pause as the digimon looked to his human partner. He knew he didn't have an answer that his friend would want to hear. Patamon wasn't even sure what could be said to help Takeru in this situation. Never before had things felt so hopeless. It reminded him of the time that he and his friend fought when they group had been separated. That was the only time he could recall seeing the human so defeated looking. "We'll find some way to beat it Takeru, you just need to have hope."

That word, again that word had been verbalized so much recently that Takeru no longer felt like he knew what it meant. His friends had tried telling him to have hope. In spite of everything that had taken place, the others still were looking optimistically into the future. Some how they felt as though something could be done to fix what had happened so far. He didn't share those feelings. No longer did Takeru feel as though he carried hope within in.

Even with losing that special trait, the darkness was not able to consume it as it had his friends in the past. Takeru knew the darkness was all around him. Just the thought of the eerie aura that surrounded him sent goose bumps running up and down his body. Although he no longer held onto the hope that there could still be a bright future, darkness was unable to overtake him.

Patamon looked to Takeru and knew that internally the boy was struggling. It made him feel about as helpless as when Leomon was after Takeru back during their very first adventure. Nothing he could say or do felt like it would help the human in this situation. The winged creature didn't really understand the complexity of what his friend was going through, but he knew that it had him beginning to feel helpless as if there was nothing that would ever change things.

Just as Patamon was about attempt talking to his friend once more, a startling crack of lightning came from the sky and headed directly for the human. "Takeru watch out!" Patamon shouted rushing to his partner to force him to evade being hit by the strike.

Takeru attempted to regain his composure as he shook his head and looked around him. "Patamon?" The boy questioned and noticed his partner had fallen away from him with a burn on his side. "Patamon!" The boy shouted as he went to run to his partner only to be stopped by a digimon appearing in between them.

A large green bird stood between Takeru and his partner. The boy took a few steps backwards until he realized his back was up against a giant tree. Darkness swirled around the giant bird as dark tendrils were visible. Instantly, the human's bright blue eyes widened as he realized he had seen the same tendrils around his best friend when they had encountered one another. "He's being controlled." The blonde muttered as he wondered how they were supposed to fight against digimon consumed by darkness. Was it really the creatures' fault they were being possessed? What right did he have to hurt the creatures if it wasn't their fault they were possessed?

While Takeru was in thought, the creature roared loudly and unleashed an attack in his direction. Electric shocks surged from the creature's head and roared towards the teenager. "Sonic Destroyer!"

A scream escaped Takeru's lips as he ducked to the right in attempts to dodge the assault. Luckily enough he had just enough speed to evade the attack. Instantly Patamon whirled towards his partner with the intention of protecting the human. "Takeru you need to be careful, he means business." Patamon warned as his eyes glared to the dark digimon before them.

"He's being controlled by the darkness Patamon! I can see the tendrils that are controlling him." The boy informed his partner but was surprised that this didn't seem to phase him at all. Patamon still hovered in front of the boy with a look of seriousness and determination on his face. "Patamon?"

"We can't let him keep assaulting us Takeru, we need to take a stand."

"But…" Takeru found himself doubting his partner's actions as he wondered how he could be alright with fighting a digimon that could be innocent. "How do we know he's evil? He could just be possessed?"

Patamon turned and frowned to his partner. Takeru did have a point that this digimon could indeed be innocent, but that didn't mean that he should stay unguarded and open for attack. "We have to fight him Takeru. We can't show the darkness any weakness. We have to have hope that everything will turn out alright."

Shock overtook Takeru as he listened to his partner talk. Why, why did this seem to be so difficult for him but so easy for everyone else? What was he missing?

Suddenly Parrotmon was on the offensive one more and this time unleashed multiple attacks towards the duo. Takeru hid behind a tree as he watched Patamon attempt to evade as best he could, but ended up hit and flew into a tree. "Patamon!" Takeru shouted as he grabbed his digivice. "You need to shinka!"

The winged guinea pig slowly got up and flew into the air. For some reason something felt off. His eyes looked to his partner who held onto his digivice, but for some reason Patamon didn't feel connected to him as he usually did. Trying to ignore his feelings, the child digimon shouted out. "Patamon shinka…"

.

.

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Fear overtook the human boy as his bright blue eyes looked to his partner. Despite his attempts to evolve, the creature remained in his child state. "Patamon?"

Before Patamon could address Takeru's question, Parrotmon was on the move, charging in the bearer of hope's direction. Patamon glided through the air hoping to reach his partner in time to defend him. "Air Shot!" He screamed filling his entire body with energy before releasing it in the digimon's direction. The attack hit Parrotmon but appeared to do little damage, if any at all.

With little effort the adult bird unleashed an attack at both Takeru and Patamon that sent the two flying into neighboring trees. Takeru coughed up blood as he slowly tried to rise to his feet. Why? Why wasn't his digivice working? Wincing in pain, he looked over at Patamon's direction and noticed that his friend had been knocked unconscious by the blow. Looking over he took note of the fact Parrotmon appeared to have no intention of backing down. What the hell was he supposed to do? There was no way he could go against an adult digimon all by himself. Never before had he felt so hopeless. Sure, in the past they had fought some tough battles, but for some reason he always had belief that they would be able to pull through. Now… Why was now so different from before?

Noticing that Parrotmon was charging up for another attack, Takeru couldn't do anything but run over to his partner and scoop him up into his arms. This time he would make sure to protect his friend. It wasn't Patamon's fault they were in this mess. Takeru wouldn't be able to bear if his partner obtained any more injuries because of his inability to help. Closing his eyes Takeru waiting for the sonic destroyer to hit him. His body was tight and tense as he held his breath…

After what seemed like an eternity, the blonde turned his head to look in the direction the creature had been in. A jolt of shock hit the boy as he noticed a giant orange dinosaur engaged in combat with the bird. "Greymon?"

"We've got this, how is Patamon?" Taichi questioned from beside Takeru.

Whipping his head in the direction of the voice beside him, Takeru blinked in surprise. "Taichi-san!"

Just by looking at the youngest child is was apparent that a lot had taken place in the time they had been separated. Takeru's entire figured was pale, not to mention he was now covered in dirt and wounds from the assault. "Now's not the time, let's get you two a safe distance away."

"But—"

"Listen, in your condition you are no good here."

Pain hit Takeru as he processed Taichi's words. He wasn't sure he had ever heard the older boy talk to him with such a tone before. Sure he had heard similar sounding words and tone towards his older brother, but never him before. The harshness was a bit startling.

Before Takeru was able to object, Taichi grabbed the boy's arm and began to drag him in the opposite direction of the quarrel. "If you don't have hope or confidence in you or Patamon, you won't be any help Takeru. This isn't going to be easy. I think that this may be harder than any other thing we have ever faced. There is no guarantee things will work out in our favor. But honestly, there never has been. We just need to try our best and do what we can. If you can't be our hope, if you can't have confidence, you won't be of any help to anyone. Running away won't solve things, but that is your choice to make. None of us can make it for you."

Heading Taichi's words brought anger to Takeru that he wasn't sure he had ever felt before. For some reason he felt as though Taichi was talking down to him. He felt as though the leader thought he was some sort of coward and that was why he had run away. "I'm not just some coward Taichi-san! I'm not running away!"

"You did run away Takeru. You are being a coward."

"You just don't understand! You never understand anyone or anything! If you understood things you would have noticed what was happening with Hikari-chan! You would have saved her! You were there, you saw her every day. How? How could this whole thing happen? How can you know anything that I am going through if you can't see things that are right in front of your face?" Takeru shouted as he felt his body shake in response. Tears found his eyes as the teenage boy began to feel ashamed that he was letting his emotions get the better of him and was beginning to cry.

"Are you done?" Taichi asked with a straight face, void of any emotion anger or sympathy.

Takeru was taken aback when he did not get any sort of reaction from the older boy. He found himself speechless as he just stared in Taichi's direction.

"You are right Takeru, I don't understand. I'm not you. And you are right. I didn't catch on to what was happening with Hikari. I should have, but I didn't. Even so, I can't let that hold me back now. You were the one that told me I couldn't let the darkness win, Mimi-chan and Hikari wouldn't want that. What about you here? Would Hikari want you acting like this? It's going to be hard. Even if the darkness hasn't possessed you, it has dimmed your hope. We very well might not win this Takeru. We might not be able to save Hikari or this world. If we don't do anything we have no chance at all. Hope isn't about knowing we can do something. Hope is having faith against all odds. I know you can have hope. I know there is stuff for you to look forward to. I can't make that decision for you Takeru. Only you can. Patamon will stick by you no matter what and no one will judge your decision, but it is yours to make."

Takeru was about to say something when a loud roar distracted him. He looked in the direction of Greymon who had been thrown to the ground by Parrotmon. "Greymon!" Takeru shouted out in concern as he then turned to Taichi. It was difficult for him to sort through all his thoughts. What Taichi said had made sense to him and he knew there was truth in his words. The boy had been so upset by everything that had happened that all his anger seemed to end up directed at the leader. Takeru knew he had been wrong to let those emotions get the best of him. Even with how hopeless the situation seemed, he should have known to keep his hopes up. He had to have faith in Patamon, his friends, and mostly himself. Hikari was counting on all of them. If they gave up here there would truly be no hope. He had to focus on the fact there was hope. They were still there and still able to fight. The boy wasn't sure how they would stand up to the darkness, but he knew there had to be some way that they could.

Suddenly Patamon moved in Takeru's arms and his digivice began to glow brightly. Blinking, Takeru felt Patamon leave his arms and glow before him.

"Patamon shinka… Angemon!"

The angel landed in front of Takeru and smiled softly to his partner.

"Angemon!"

"We can do this Takeru. We will find a way somehow, keep that faith in us. We need you!" The digimon smiled softly before dashing to aid his friend in battle. "Heaven's Knuckle!" He shouted collecting energy in his fist before unleashing it in the direction of the bird.

As Parrotmon fell to the ground, Taichi walked towards the digimon and he looked to Greymon and Angemon. "Don't delete him, we need to free him from the darkness." The leader ordered as he knelt beside the bird. He felt a bit fearful it would regain consciousness and strike him, but Taichi had hope that his plan would work. His chocolate eyes looked to Takeru for a moment who was perplexed by what was happening. Smiling with a cocky grin, the human held out his digivice that instantly emitted a bright light. The dark tendrils around the creature quivered in what appeared to be pain and detest before dispersing and releasing the Parrotmon from their control.

"The digivice dispelled the darkness?" Takeru questioned surprised that he hadn't thought about using the digivice in that way before.

"I thought about it after Koushiro had us use them in the cave to protect ourselves. It's just like what we did with the black gears all the years ago. The digivice has the power to expel the darkness. We can use it to aid us in this fight."

Takeru nodded as he found himself feeling more confident knowing there was something they could use to help them fight the darkness. "Maybe the digivice can help us against Hikari-chan."

Smiling Taichi walked over to the younger boy and placed his hand on his shoulder. "That's the Takeru we all know. If it can't, something else can. We'll figure it out. I think we need to do that as a team though. Hope lies in the ties of friendship. We need to get back with the others if we stand any chance at turning this around.

For the first time in a long time it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted. Takeru knew that this wasn't going to be easy, but those negative feelings and feelings of anger no longer seemed to be holding him down. Taichi had to be battling similar feelings, but he hadn't given up hope. Takeru knew that he couldn't give up hope now. "Let's find them!"

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 _A/N_ : _Blah, not the best… But I always feel that happens when you have to rewrite a chapter. Let me know your thoughts! Hopefully it won't be too long before the next chapter! I won't give up on this story trust me~_


	21. Confrontation at the Village

**Chapter 21: Confrontation at the Village**

Having had to leave the place Mimi believed to be safest in all of the digimon world, she had a difficult time controlling the fear within her. She knew that any weakness she had would be exploited by the now looming darkness, but that did not help her control the anxiety within her. Somehow the darkness had managed to out play the chosen children at every step and it was appearing as though their efforts were all hopeless. Despite these feelings, she knew that they couldn't just give in. The previous adventures had taught her that even when the darkness appeared to have the upper hand, there was always room for the light in their hearts to prevail.

As Gennai and Mimi raced towards the Village of Beginnings the silence between them was a bit unsettling for the older man. He looked to the human knowing there must be a million different things going through her mind. Quite honestly, he was a bit surprised that she seemed to be functioning normally. "My child… How are you holding up? I know that I ask too much of you children, but I do care about your well being."

The strawberry blonde was taken away from her thoughts as she turned to the man beside her. Hearing his words, she wondered just how hard it had to be for him in this situation. Even though she never really understood exactly what he was, she knew that a great deal of his colleagues had been killed violently by the attacks of Piemon and the other Dark Masters. Along with that, it had to be difficult to not be able to stand up against the darkness without the help of strangers from another world. Her face softened as she smiled warmly at him. "I'm fine Gennai-san. I appreciate your concern."

The older man wasn't exactly expecting the girl to gush her thoughts and feelings to him, but the expression on her face was a bit unsettling. How was she so composed especially in spite of everything that had taken place so far? Her composure was intriguing to him. "That is good. I really do want to help you children even if it never seems like I do. There is only so much I can do to be of assistance."

It was true that in the past Gennai always seemed to be a bit of a riddler. Over and over again the teenager remembered being frustrated with him and the fact that he couldn't just tell them things straight. Even so, her thoughts returned to the loneliness she was certain he felt hiding below a lake all by himself. "You do great Gennai-san. Because of you, we have gotten as far as we have. I know that somehow we have to get through this too. Let's get to Palmon and then find the others. Sound good?" She smiled softly before looking in the direction of the village ahead of them.

Before too long the duo reached their destination. Despite having expected to see some horrific scene, Mimi hadn't quite prepared herself for what was before her. Hundreds of the shadowy creatures she had seen in that other world were crushing eggs without any hesitation at all. Instantly her breath left her as she thought about Palmon's digitama. If the egg had been crushed as these others had, there was no chance she'd be of any help in this battle. Panic overtook the teenager as she wondered what she was supposed to do. Her heart was pounding so hard and so fast it was hard for her to think about what she could do to prevent this devastation from taking place. What could she do against these creatures? Mimi was only a human.

Before Mimi could come up with some sort of plan of actions a terrifying scream caught her attention. A group of the disgusting creatures appeared to be attacking something that was trying desperately to defend the village. The girl's caramel eyes widened as she placed her gaze on the target of their brutal attacks. "Elecmon!" The name escaped her lips in the form of a scream before she sprinted towards the child digimon.

Hearing the voice of someone, the Kurame No Mono backed away from the creature before placing their attention on the frail human that placed herself between the guardian of the village and them. A chuckle escaped one's lips as he noticed that it was the child of Purity. "What can you do child of Purity? You have no digimon partner to defend you. There is no hope for you or any others that stand against Lord Dagomon."

The confidence that came from the creature angered the teen as she thought about just how arrogant a creature had to be to believe there was nothing that she could do. Of course, the girl wasn't entirely sure if there was anything that she could do, but she knew that standing to the side wouldn't accomplish anything. 'Palmon… I wish you were here to help me. I will be strong for you though! I won't let them hurt anyone else!' As Mimi thought of the words, she grabbed her digivice from her pocket and looked at it. The device had helped her in the past, perhaps there was some way it could help her now.

Without further delay, the Kurame no Mono lunged towards to young human confident that they would put an end to one of the children that stood in their master's way. Mimi closed her eyes tight as they drew closer and she suddenly felt a warm sensation develop within her clenched hands. All of a sudden for the girl it felt as though time sat still.

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.

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Slowly Mimi opened her eyes realizing that nothing had happened to her. Part of her wondered if their attack had been so quick that she died without ever even noticing. Her heart was still pounding heavily within her chest so she was quite certain that she was still alive. The girl's caramel eyes opened to see the creatures were inches away from her, but caught in a giant block of ice. "W-what?"

"Mimi-chan! Mimi-chan! Are you alright?" Panic came from a familiar male voice.

Blinking to try and clear her confusion, the child of purity then noticed a firm grip upon her shoulder. Turning in what seemed like an out of body experience it took her mind a few moments to register the fact that a familiar dirty haired blonde was standing beside her with concern etched all over his facial features. "Ya… Yamato-san?" She questioned still not entirely sure what had all happened. She looked down and noticed that the warm sensation she felt was coming from the small glowing device within her hands. "My digivice." She stated not entirely sure why it was glowing.

Yamato could clearly see that his friend was in shock and he couldn't really blame her. She had some pretty big balls in his book to take on those creatures in order to defend the guardian of the village. He was sure that the purity she had within her wouldn't have allowed her to sit back and watch the creature take a beating without trying to help in some way, even if that meant foolishly placing her body in front of him as a shield. "I bet it reacted to the purity of your action. You wanted to help Elecmon in whatever way you could and your digivice reacted to that desire."

Suddenly remembering the creature, Mimi turned from her friend and the thoughts of her digivice and looked to the injured creature that was huddled over something. "Elecmon! Elecmon are you alright?" She asked with a bit of panic in her voice as she knelt beside him and gently placed her hands upon his back in hopes to comfort him.

"I… I knew you'd be coming… I couldn't let them get her…" The creature stated through sharp inhales. He was in extreme pain and that struggle he had to keep himself together was very apparent.

"What do you mean Elecmon? Couldn't let them get who?"

Elecmon smiled softly as he turned towards the strawberry blonde and revealed the digitama with a green design upon in.

"Palmon!" Mimi shouted in shock as she felt tears begin to well within her orbs. This little creature had risked his life to make sure Palmon's digitama was safe. "Elecmon… Thank you! Thank you so much!" The girl wrapped her arms around the creature causing him to wince and her to quickly let go in embarrassment. "Sorry! Sorry! I… It's just…"

"I'm glad I could help… I couldn't stop them from hurting some of the others… But I knew if there was any hope I couldn't let them get to her."

"There is hope Elecmon. We aren't going to give in to this darkness. We are going to find a way to beat it and bring the light back to this world." Yamato interjected as he knelt beside Mimi and place a hand gently upon her shoulder. He was actually quite surprised to find the girl in the condition that she was in. He had originally decided to go to the village of beginnings to find Palmon's digitama in case the enemy tried to target the village. What he hadn't expected was to find Mimi and Gennai both already at the village. He thought it was pretty risky for them to leave the protection of Gennai's house without anyone to help them fight.

"Yamato-san is right. Have faith in us!" She smiled softly before standing up and turning towards the older man who had accompanied her to the village. "Gennai-san, I think you should stay here with Elecmon. If you can find some others to help defend the village, I'm sure those creatures will keep coming here to try and destroy new life. There have to be others willing to stand against the darkness. Can you do that?"

Hearing the teenager's request, the man couldn't help but smile softly. Again she was surprising him with her thoughts and actions. "Of course my child, what do you plan on doing? Where are the others?"

Mimi blinked as she thought about the fact that Yamato was alone and no one else was with him beside MetalGarurumon. Her thoughts instantly went to Taichi and she felt herself struggling to breath. Did he... Was he…?

Knowing that the topic of the others was going to come up, the older teen noticed an instant change in Mimi's demeanor. More than likely her thoughts had shifted to their leader. Everyone knew how the relationship between Taichi and Mimi had developed over the years. Hell, Taichi freaking out after Mimi being consumed by darkness proved just how deep that relationship had developed. "After our encounter at Mugen Mountain, we were forced to run. The six of us hid in a cave, but the events were really taking a toll on Takeru. He took off and Taichi volunteered to go after him. Sora, Jyou, and Koushiro decided to go look for some allies to help us in this fight. I thought that maybe those Kurame no Mono would attack this village and I wanted to make sure I could get Palmon's digitama before they struck."

"You wanted to save Palmon?" Mimi questioned a bit surprised that the plant digimon was even on her friend's mind with everything else that was going on.

Yamato smiled softly as he nodded to his friend. "Yes, I knew that we were going to need the two of you. I must admit I was a bit surprised to see that you had beaten me here."

This caused a smile to spread across the girl's face. She was so blessed to have so many people looking out for her and Palmon. She knew that no matter what she needed to fight for these people even if it meant killing. Unlike the first adventure, Mimi did not hold any doubt in her role in this battle. The strawberry blonde wanted to defeat the darkness and save her friend no matter what was expected of her. "Should we go find Sora-san, Jyou-senpai, and Koushiro-kun? I bet Taichi-san and Takeru-kun will look for them too."

Yamato nodded as the two of them mounting MetalGarurumon and looked to Elecmon and Gennai. Luckily they were able to win this small battle against the darkness. Even though it wasn't a huge victory, it was a victory to keep the hope within them burning. Mimi held tightly onto Palmon's digitama as she felt happy knowing that her friend was safe for the time being. She had no idea what was in store for the future, but in this moment, she knew others were trying just as hard as she was to make certain as many creatures in this world could be spared from the wrath of darkness that was plaguing the world.

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 _A/N: Hello~ Another chapter is up! I'm splitting the original chapter I had intended in half so this chapter is a bit shorter than some of the others. Hope you like it. There wasn't much action, but that will come in the next chapter~ Please leave comments or reviews, I love reading them!_


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